Holly Bushes-Pruning

Question

We recently bought a house that was not taken care of very well (inside and out) and we are trying to salvage all that we can. With that said, how can we make holly bushes smaller with out making them look like we murdered them? I will be glad to email pictures 🙂

Answer 1

I would prune it back by 1/3 and no more than that in one given year, as this could damage the plant. This article will help you with the basics:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/holly/trimming-holly-bushes-how-to-prune-holly-bushes.htm

Pruning is basically sculpting the plant. If you are aiming for a round shape, then start shaping them that way. If you need to remove more than a few inches to do this, you may want to take a little off this year and then do more next year, shaping the plants gradually.