Shrubs - Holly (page 2)
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  I have three foster holly bushes in front of my house. They have been trimmed up from the bottom about four feet. Now they are getting top-heavy and getting too close to the roof of my house. Could these be cut off about four feet, and will they come out from the root again? When should this be done?

  Foster holly bushes make a nice columnar growth habit normally. Severe pruning can be done, and new growth should come out. However, now is not the time to do it. Severe pruning of broadleaf evergreens should be done right before new growth begins--typically in late February to early March. This will encourage new growth and allow the plant to recover more quickly.

  I have a Burford holly bush that I have had in the yard for several years. I was recently pruning it and noticed that many of the leaves on the inside of the bush are black. What could have caused this and what should I do?

  Your holly bush has scale insects on the stems, underside of the leaves or somewhere in the bush. They are sucking sap out of the plant and giving off a sticky substance known as honeydew. Wherever the honeydew falls on the leaves, a black sooty mold forms. This rubs off. There is no control for the mold, other than controlling the insects. Spray with a systemic insecticide such as Orthene to control them. The mold won’t go away on the old leaves, but the new growth should be clean.

  I would like to know the name of a decorative tree I have seen many times in rest area along the road in the Winter. It has very small almost berry-like "fruit", red and covering the tree. The fruit is no more than ½ inch in diameter, I would like to plant it here in Bella Vista. Can you give me the name and some information on it?

  The tree in question is a deciduous holly. There are two native species, Ilex verticillata and Ilex decidua, but also numerous varieties available at local nurseries. It forms a small tree or large bush. 'Warren's Red', 'Sparkleberry' and 'Winter Red' are all good choices. Check with your local nursery to see what they have available.

  I planted over 20 holly bushes along the property line of my house a couple of years ago. What can I do to get berries? They have grown nicely, but are still small plants. I am hoping they will give me privacy in the coming years.

  In all probability, they are simply not old enough to start producing berries. Hollies have separate female and male plants, and only the females can have berries. With that many plants, surely you have some males and female bushes in the bunch, so that they can produce berries. If the plants have started blooming, you can dissect a bloom to check for male or female parts. A male will have several stamens in the center of the flower, a female will have a sole pistil. I think you should simply give them time to mature and begin producing berries.

  We have a two year old yaupon holly tree on our patio. It is covered with red berries, and looks quite healthy. We are concerned, however, with two three to four inch splits in the bark. The tree is in a bed on a brick patio and has not been damaged by a mower or anything like that. Can you tell what has caused the splits and will it cause the tree to die? Is there anything we can do about it?

  Splits in the bark can be caused by several things, including wind damage or winter weather damage. If the splits are located primarily on the southwest side of the tree, it is winter damage, possibly from last winter. Sunlight builds up heat on the southwest side of the exposed trunk even in the winter, and with freezing and thawing it can cause splits or damage to the trunk. That is why some fruit growers paint the trunks of their trees with cheap white paint in the winter. That is not a recommendation for ornamentals. There really is not much that can be done about the problem, other than cleaning up any loose or hanging bark and keeping the wounds clean. Hopefully, the damage is superficial and won’t lead to any serious lasting problems.

  Can we cut our dwarf Burford hollies down near the ground line, and will they grow back up again? We should have started to trim them earlier, as they are now larger that we wanted around our side driveway. I would say they are 3 and one half to 4 feet tall and wide. We would like them shorter but as wide if possible. When should we do this if its possible?

  Severe pruning of broadleaf evergreens, such as hollies, can be done with expectations of total recovery. You should prune very soon, to catch the burst of new growth this spring. If you need wide plants, just not as tall, you may not want to go back to the soil line. Why not consider shearing them back in half their height, and one third their width. This should give you a more manageable plant, but it won’t take as long to recover and fill back in. Dwarf Burford hollies have the potential to be eight to ten feet in height at maturity, so regular pruning will be in order.

  Enclosed are some leaves from my holly bushes. They were healthy and doing well for four or five years, and then last summer, they began dying, a limb and leaves at various intervals. I’d like to save them, if possible. I’ve sprayed with various solutions unsuccessfully, and feel that maybe the culprit is in the root structure–maybe gophers. I would appreciate your advice.

  The leaves you sent me did have some signs of some possible chewing insects, or it could be that the holes in the leaves were due to dried out spots of a disease that have fallen away. This shouldn’t be killing the plants. In addition, the plants look dried out, as if something has cut off the supply of water to the foliage. Why do you suspect gophers? If you can see mounds or tunnels, gophers can feed on the root system. They can also girdle a plant at the base, as can other small rodents. Nematodes (microscopic worms in the soil) can also feed on the roots and cause a slow death. I think this warrants further investigation. Check the plant carefully. Take a sample of a limb in transition to your county extension office. They can send it to the plant disease clinic. You might also want to run a nematode test, which will require approximately a quart of soil with roots from the plant. There is a fee for this test, and it probably would be best to let the soil warm up a little before taking this sample. Good luck.

  I have a question about pruning twelve year old dwarf holly plants. I don't remember the name of them, but they have tiny leaves. They have gotten too large and need more severe pruning than I have been doing. Would it be best to do this in the fall or in the spring?

  The best time to prune them severely would be right before they begin to grow in the spring. That is when they put forth their burst of new growth, so they can quickly cover the cut edges and get back to a more attractive plant more quickly. Pruning them in the fall would expose them to winter damage.

  I am sending you some leaves from my holly bushes. For the past two years I have had this problem. Whatever it is, it seems to draw large flies, and at times, bushes hum with them. I have used Orthenex and Lindane. The bushes continue to grow and get new growth in spite of the problem. What else can I do?

  The problem is caused by scale insects. When large numbers build up, they give off vast quantities of a sticky substance called honeydew (I am assuming that is attracting the flies, but I have never seen that before). Wherever the honeydew is, black sooty mold forms. You have a great case of black sooty mold! Your best recourse would be to prune the plants back some to allow for thorough coverage of a spray. Use either a dormant oil or a refined horticultural oil to completely cover the plants--both tops and bottoms of the leaves. Rake up and dispose of all debris from pruning, including the old mulch. Then this summer, if new symptoms occur, spray with Orthene. Spray again this fall or early winter with the oil product. The way the oils work is they smother out the insects, so spray thoroughly. While some of the refined oil sprays claim they can be used year-round, I would avoid using them during periods of high temperatures and high humidity or you may have some burning on your foliage.

  The helleri holly shrubs that I planted about three or four years ago, are slowly dying, one branch at a time. They have been healthy until this year. I have kept them watered and fertilized. I would appreciate any help you can offer.

  Your shrubs have an infestation of scale insects. There are tiny white patches on the stems and the back of some leaves. Spray them now with a dormant or horticultural oil, being sure to get thorough coverage. In the early spring, prune out any damaged wood, rake up dropping leaves and old mulch and spray again, then put down clean mulch and keep an eye on them.

  Can you please help me with a problem I am having on my holly bushes. I have enclosed a sample for you. The leaves have white all over the bottom of them and the plants are not as healthy or hardy as they once were. I have been fighting this for three years. I have done everything I know to do. I am ready to pull them up if there is no cure. Thanks for any help.

  The problem is scale insects. You can quickly spray with a summer weight oil, before it gets too hot. Thorough coverage is a must if you plan to control them. This means spraying the underside of the plants as well as the tops. Hard pruning prior to spraying can help in coverage. The later you wait, the harder it will be on the plants, using an oil or severe pruning. Another option is to spray them with Orthene now, and again in two weeks. Then this fall when it cools off again, use the oil spray.

  I am enclosing some stems and leaves off of a big holly bush. I have five huge bushes across my front porch and the other four are not affected with whatever this is. I was told by someone that the bush was struck by a weed-eater. I have a lawn man and he vows he never used one near it. What can you tell by the leaves and stems?

  The leaves and stems of the burford holly are free of any visible signs of insects or diseases. It simply appears the tissue has dried out. As to whether or not a weed-eater was used, that should be very obvious. Look at the base of the plant. If a weed-eater was near it, you will have visible signs of the damage, usually a scarred trunk. Weed-eaters and lawn mowers both cause considerable damage to landscapes, but are very noticeable in their damage. If there is no visible scarring, rule out the yard man. Check to see if you have sprayed anything or used any chemicals nearby which could account for the die back, or if drainage could be a problem.

  We are adding on to our house and have some large hollies that need to be moved. Is there a chance they will survive if we move them during the winter? I would like to move them to a holding area, and then after construction (which will take about three months) move them back as foundation plantings. What type of care should we give them to aid in their survival?

  Winter is the best time to move large established plants. While they are dormant, there is less stress with transplanting. If you are going to have a holding area, choose a site under trees or that is somewhat protected. Lightly work up a planting hole and mound the plants together, cover the root system with soil and mulch. Water if it is dry during the winter, and prior to any heavy frosts if we don’t have ample moisture. Then move them to their permanent location when the construction is finished. Make sure that the days you are moving them, you have the root system protected while it is above ground. Roots are sensitive to cold weather and drying winds.

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