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Holly has bare and dead stems

shazza 3shazza 3 Posts: 197
in Problem solving
Hello. I was sweeping up leaves around my pots and noticed that although my Holly looks reasonably healthy, there were a lot of bare and dead stems in the middle of it. I realise that the weather causes problems ( we're having gale force winds here at the moment even though forecast is for higher temperature) as well as previous storms. I try to keep it well watered during the really dry days ( not very often) and I can't see any signs of pest damage. Does anyone know why this is happening ?? The pictures are taken from both sides of the tree. Thanks

Posts

  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    I used to have a holy tree (Silver queen) and that's how it grew. Plenty of leaves on the outside. I think the inner leaves die off naturally as the plant grows. The leaves are there to catch the light so there's no benefit to a plant to keep leaves on the inside.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • shazza 3shazza 3 Posts: 197
    Thanks for the reply. Really ?? Should I cut off the dead wood ???
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Hollies do that - all evergreens do to a certain extent. If you've ever looked inside a conifer, you'll see how they grow  :)
    Anything obviously dead that isn't doing anything worthwhile can be pruned off. 
    You shouldn't have to water it though. The root system should be very well established, and it should be able to access enough from lower down.
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    If there are branches/twigs that have no leaves at all and no signs of any buds I think I would take them off, but if you follow the bare-looking branch out to the end and there are leaves there, the branch is still alive so it's up to you.
    If you took all the branches off the lower part of the trunk, that's called crown lifting - effectively making a more tree-like shape.
    If you wanted to make it into a smaller but denser-looking bush you could probably trim it back all over but I never tried that so maybe someone else will be along who can advise.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Yes - hollies can be hard pruned, but I think lifting the canopy would also be a nice result, and would allow the planting below to have more space.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • bertrand-mabelbertrand-mabel Posts: 2,697
    But is it in a container? They need to be in the ground if you can.
    We have one that "grew" itself in the front garden and this is pruned back each year and has continued to produce side branches each year.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I assumed it was in the ground @bertrand-mabel. If it's in a container, I think it may well have grown through that, to be that size  :)
    I passed one in a garden yesterday, and it reminded me of this thread. A similar situation, and they've raised the canopy to clear a good four or five feet of trunk. Allows more light and space for the planting below. 
    Hollies work well as a bit of topiary too, and that one had been shaped a bit. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • shazza 3shazza 3 Posts: 197
    The Holly is in the ground (see 1st pic above). I've cut off all the dead twigs and one large branch that had a dead middle to it. It's really odd that it's gone like that now as it's been healthy for many years. I'll keep an eye on it this year and see what happens. Thanks for the advice.
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