The thing about Montana is that it does provide shelter for the birds in winter, and I know you value this. Nellie Moser isn't so good because it has to be cut back regularly. It might be worth trying Verdun's approach to see if you have the time to keep it in check - it looks great growing along a fence. It would still flower, provide cover and give your holly a chance to recover.
I confess it's not alone. None planted by me, but right next to the holly is a hydrangea petiolaris, just further behind the photo a pathenocissus, and further along the fence (but not looking very happy) a chaenomeles. Further along again a honeysuckle. All were cut back very hard when fence access was needed, so are just coming back, but all will work to clothe the fence. I think the lady before me felt the same way about privacy that I do! It's a matter of striking a balance between good cover and complete jungle... the latter held sway for the last few years, hence the swamped holly. I need to make sure it doesn't happen again.
'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.'
I've made a start. I only went to put something in the shed. Saw the ladder, thought I'd have a look, and now
It turns out the holly was mainly clematis!
Looks bloomin' awful now, but had to be done. I can't believe how long I've wanted to sort that out, how long I've been fretting about the best time to do it, and now I've done it.
Any tips on the best way to begin shaping the tree?
'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.'
The top is very bare and what growth there is, is hanging down - it had an enormous thickness of matted clematis on top of it. Do you think there is any value in pulling some of the lengths of holly round and sort of tying them to create a ball shape? Kind of a living topiary frame?
I too think it will recover, based on the number of holly stumps arond the garden that are doing their best to regrow! The question is, will it regrow in anything like the shape I'm after, or would I be better to rethink my requirements to fit?
'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.'
There's not much, yet, for distraction, but there's a philadelphus that will fill with leaf and flower between the house and the holly soon enough. And a hydrangea petiolaris between the two (small though - cut back to nothing last year). Although the holly does look horrible, it can't look worse than it did before so I am happy to put up with it .
I did find a small amount of nesting material in there, but old - not from last year I'm sure. And the birds are still using what's there to do their pre-feed recces, so all is good.
'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.'
I cut a section of my mature Holly hedge down, trunks were at least 6 inches wide, with a view to removing. I never did get round to it and the growth that it has put on in a short 18 months is incredible.
What I am trying to say is that your Holly will recover and look great. All you need is patience. Something I don't do well. Good luck with it. A nice tree to have.
I can't quite make out from your thread if you have now destroyed the clematis or whether the roots are still in the ground. If they are still in the ground, why not, as others have already said, train it against the fence. I love that particular variety, it's really pretty, produces a mass of flowers in May, needs no pruning at all and is extremely robust. It's not one of the temperamental clematis which need careful treatment and judicious pruning. As you say, it's rampant, so if you have the space you could tie a branch in each direction and it would grow happily along the trellis at the top of your fence providing a lovely backdrop to your shrubs in the borders. Good luck!
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The thing about Montana is that it does provide shelter for the birds in winter, and I know you value this. Nellie Moser isn't so good because it has to be cut back regularly. It might be worth trying Verdun's approach to see if you have the time to keep it in check - it looks great growing along a fence. It would still flower, provide cover and give your holly a chance to recover.
I confess it's not alone. None planted by me, but right next to the holly is a hydrangea petiolaris, just further behind the photo a pathenocissus, and further along the fence (but not looking very happy) a chaenomeles. Further along again a honeysuckle. All were cut back very hard when fence access was needed, so are just coming back, but all will work to clothe the fence. I think the lady before me felt the same way about privacy that I do! It's a matter of striking a balance between good cover and complete jungle... the latter held sway for the last few years, hence the swamped holly. I need to make sure it doesn't happen again.
I've made a start. I only went to put something in the shed. Saw the ladder, thought I'd have a look, and now
It turns out the holly was mainly clematis!
Looks bloomin' awful now, but had to be done. I can't believe how long I've wanted to sort that out, how long I've been fretting about the best time to do it, and now I've done it.
Any tips on the best way to begin shaping the tree?
The top is very bare and what growth there is, is hanging down - it had an enormous thickness of matted clematis on top of it. Do you think there is any value in pulling some of the lengths of holly round and sort of tying them to create a ball shape? Kind of a living topiary frame?
I too think it will recover, based on the number of holly stumps arond the garden that are doing their best to regrow! The question is, will it regrow in anything like the shape I'm after, or would I be better to rethink my requirements to fit?
Thanks - will do.
There's not much, yet, for distraction, but there's a philadelphus that will fill with leaf and flower between the house and the holly soon enough. And a hydrangea petiolaris between the two (small though - cut back to nothing last year). Although the holly does look horrible, it can't look worse than it did before so I am happy to put up with it
.
I did find a small amount of nesting material in there, but old - not from last year I'm sure. And the birds are still using what's there to do their pre-feed recces, so all is good.
What I am trying to say is that your Holly will recover and look great. All you need is patience. Something I don't do well. Good luck with it. A nice tree to have.
I can't quite make out from your thread if you have now destroyed the clematis or whether the roots are still in the ground. If they are still in the ground, why not, as others have already said, train it against the fence. I love that particular variety, it's really pretty, produces a mass of flowers in May, needs no pruning at all and is extremely robust. It's not one of the temperamental clematis which need careful treatment and judicious pruning. As you say, it's rampant, so if you have the space you could tie a branch in each direction and it would grow happily along the trellis at the top of your fence providing a lovely backdrop to your shrubs in the borders. Good luck!