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Standard Holly
lizzyvic
Posts: 2
I planted my Standard Holly autum last year, it has dropped all its leaves,and some of the branches looked shrivelled . There looks to be some tiny new leaves appearing right on the tips ,will it recover ?
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Posts
Where is it planted?
How much water are you giving it? We had a really dry spring ... even with the wet May the soil down at root level is still dry.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
It's very easy to underestimate how much water they need, especially in pots, and if it's in a an exposed site, wind can cause damage as much as sun.
A large specimen will also take longer to establish, so any stress can set it back, regardless of location or weather.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
If it's planted in a container, what sort of compost did you use? Ordinary multi-purpose compost is only suitable for short term planting like vegetables and containers of summer bedding, hanging baskets etc. Trees and shrubs etc need a loam-based compost made to John Innes formula No. 3, with either some good home-made garden compost or multi-purpose added to lighten it, or additional grit ... depending on the type of drainage the specific plant requires.
If in the ground, I would have been giving a newly planted holly two buckets full of water every other day, (poured slowly over the soil surface so that it doesn't run off) from early March onwards, whether it rained or not.
Is it in the 'rain-shadow' of a building, wall or fence?
Which way does the site face? Is it shaded fully or for part of the day, or is it in full sun?
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.