Comments on: Hat Racking Hollies

By: Becky Robert

Becky Robert — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 15:28:49 +0000

Bartlett Tree Expert Co. also offers a 10% discount on all services to Scott Arboretum members. Follow this link for details http://www.scottarboretum.org/membership/discountprogram.html

By: Andrew Bunting

Andrew Bunting — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 15:16:10 +0000

Frank,

I would try to find an arborist who can do this type of pruning. You might even want to show them this blog. For this type of work on campus we would use Bartlett Tree Care. Our local rep is John Studdy.

Andrew Bunting, Curator

By: Frank

Frank — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 15:14:08 +0000

I live nearby in Media and have two American (I believe) Hollies on opposite sides of the steps leading up to our front door. They are about 30 years and they are intruding on the entrance to our house. I have had some local landscapers comment that they should be cut down and removed since they are the wrong type of tree for the locations. Can you recommend some local arborists that could hat rack our hollies?

By: David Martin

David Martin — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 04:27:42 +0000

I linked this blog entry to my reply t a query about getting a holly away from the sidewalk of a newly-purchased house in Florida. I added a disclaimer to the effect that doing the same thing to crape myrtles amounts to plant abuse.

I suppose that a regional guide to landscape plants’ toleration of severe pruning (or outright coppicing/cutting back to the ground) could be of some use.

I’d been introduced to hatracking as a legitimate, if drastic, technique by (I think) a paperback pruning handbook from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, which is currently in hiding.

By: Andrew Bunting

Andrew Bunting — Tue, 26 May 2009 16:01:29 +0000

Laura,

If you can send me an email image to abuntin1@swarthmore.edu I can probably better address your pruning question.

Andrew Bunting, Curator

By: Laura

Laura — Tue, 26 May 2009 01:35:20 +0000

I have what I believe is a type of holly shrub. It’s only about 2 feet tall but it spreads out like a canopy around a lamp post. It is at least 20 years old. It used to be pruned regularly, but has been, inadvertently, ignored for the last few years and has become rangy with about a two foot wide bare spot where it appears it has died. The outermost leaves (very small) look great, but it’s thick woody stems are long and bare. I think it needs a good pruning, but I’m afraid to prune it back as far as it appears to need to fill in again. Any ideas? I can post a picture, if any one can tell me how and help me identify the shrub and it’s needs. Thanks, Laura