Hi, I wonder can anyone help me? I have a Blue Princess holly and a J.C. Van Tol that I planted in two different areas of my newly created garden in May. Unfortunately over the summer they both have lost some leaves, leaving them a bit leggy. Any ideas why this would have happened? Will the leaves grow back next year or will I be left with leggy plants? Should I prune them? (They were bought with the root ball wrapped in hessian, which I planted intact as I'd heard that hollies don't like their roots being disturbed.)

Many thanks!

On 14/10/07 21:19, in article ,
"BlueFlower" wrote:

Hi, I wonder can anyone help me? I have a Blue Princess holly and a J.C.
Van Tol that I planted in two different areas of my newly created garden
in May. Unfortunately over the summer they both have lost some leaves,
leaving them a bit leggy. Any ideas why this would have happened? Will
the leaves grow back next year or will I be left with leggy plants?
Should I prune them? (They were bought with the root ball wrapped in
hessian, which I planted intact as I'd heard that hollies don't like
their roots being disturbed.)

Can you imagine spending your entire life with your feet treated as those of
Chinese girls in time long gone? A long time ago I used to have an Irish
gardener who, when he planted anything, big or small, inevitably said to me
"will I plant 'em in de pots"?
The answer was 'no' because the roots are constricted. While the soil is
still warm, resurrect the hollies, take off the hessian and replant the
hollies, making sure the hole you've dug for them is at least a third larger
than the current root ball. Some people will tell you to tease out the
roots a little - I do - my husband says people break them and damage the
plant further. Up to you. If there is a dry spell where you're gardening,
keep them watered.
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

In article , Sacha
writes

The answer was 'no' because the roots are constricted. While the soil is
still warm, resurrect the hollies, take off the hessian and replant the
hollies,


Sacha. if you wanted standard hollies would it be wiser to grow them
first in the soil then transplanted them to the eventual pot when they
had reached their desired height?

--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

On 15/10/07 18:06, in article , "Janet
Tweedy" wrote:

In article , Sacha
writes

The answer was 'no' because the roots are constricted. While the soil is
still warm, resurrect the hollies, take off the hessian and replant the
hollies,


Sacha. if you wanted standard hollies would it be wiser to grow them
first in the soil then transplanted them to the eventual pot when they
had reached their desired height?

I've never done this Janet, so I asked Ray. He says start them in the pots
selecting plants with strong leaders and stems. I'm assuming you want to
keep them potted? If not, plant them out once they're 3'-4' tall, says R.

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

On Oct 14, 9:19 pm, BlueFlower
wrote:
Hi, I wonder can anyone help me? I have a Blue Princess holly and a J.C.
Van Tol that I planted in two different areas of my newly created garden
in May. Unfortunately over the summer they both have lost some leaves,
leaving them a bit leggy. Any ideas why this would have happened? Will
the leaves grow back next year or will I be left with leggy plants?
Should I prune them? (They were bought with the root ball wrapped in
hessian, which I planted intact as I'd heard that hollies don't like
their roots being disturbed.)

You should have removed the hessian and teased out some of the roots,
making a hole large enough to make sure the roots would have plenty of
space to grow. Also yellowing of the leaves sounds to me that they
also might not be in a well drained environment. Now would be a good
time to pull them out and start again. How tall are they, how old and
are they in full sun?

On 15/10/07 22:58, in article
, "
wrote:

On Oct 14, 9:19 pm, BlueFlower
wrote:
Hi, I wonder can anyone help me? I have a Blue Princess holly and a J.C.
Van Tol that I planted in two different areas of my newly created garden
in May. Unfortunately over the summer they both have lost some leaves,
leaving them a bit leggy. Any ideas why this would have happened? Will
the leaves grow back next year or will I be left with leggy plants?
Should I prune them? (They were bought with the root ball wrapped in
hessian, which I planted intact as I'd heard that hollies don't like
their roots being disturbed.)

You should have removed the hessian and teased out some of the roots,
making a hole large enough to make sure the roots would have plenty of
space to grow. Also yellowing of the leaves sounds to me that they
also might not be in a well drained environment. Now would be a good
time to pull them out and start again. How tall are they, how old and
are they in full sun?


Hollies grow in sun and in shade. Also, I think the problem here is that
the roots have had nowhere to go, so couldn't pick up any nutrients at an
important stage in their development, i.e. adjusting to their new
environment.
If they've been bundled up in hessian, no, they're not in a well-drained
environment!! They are in a soggy mass of sacking, holding in water, that
is not going to drain any better as winter sets in. Not disturbing the
roots means digging them up and moving them to another location at some
point. It doesn't mean merely releasing them from the container in which
you received them. While it's important to keep newly planted things
well-watered in dry spells, it's also important to be sure that they drain,
too. Very few plants like to have their roots standing in water most of the
time and that is a big plant killer.

Note to original poster: don't 'pull' them out - they're already under
stress. Lift them out carefully with a fork that you have carefully
inserted away from and well under the hessian ball, take off the hessian,
re-plant. Teasing the roots out is up to you, as I said earlier - opinions
differ on that one. They don't like lime soils but if you bought them
locally, it's to be hoped you got them from somewhere that caters to your
area.
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

On 15 Oct, 23:21, Sacha wrote:
Hollies grow in sun and in shade. Also, I think the problem here is that
the roots have had nowhere to go, so couldn't pick up any nutrients at an
important stage in their development, i.e. adjusting to their new
environment.

There is a fungi disease that is serious if the tree is in damp and
shade and which attack the leaves and then the twigs. If the tree is
kept at the base to light and with plenty of air it will thrive, hence
my question about sun or shade. I am not entirely sure that BlueFlower
has kept the hessian bag on - I feel we can only speculate from her
post. If we also know the age, and possibly the species, it sometimes
can help identifying the problems. I'm thinking about variegated
variety which looses lots of leaves in the autumn like the altaclenris
- there's one in a garden nearby with all the leaves at the base
totally yellow/white. This is not a disease but merely the chlorophyl
not doing it's thing under a very thick canopy. Which reminds me I've
always wanted the 'hedgehog' one - something I'd like to train as a
standard possibly. Since I've cleared up our 20m high holy from it's
dusty horrible base of dead branches etc. the bark underneath is
beautiful - a green that shine even in the deepest, greyest, 'orrible
northern winter's day )

In article , Sacha
writes


I've never done this Janet, so I asked Ray. He says start them in the pots
selecting plants with strong leaders and stems. I'm assuming you want to
keep them potted?

Yes I would like them potted it was just that I thought from your other
email that they might get to the desired height quicker if I put them in
the soil for a couple of years!

It's cheaper to grow my own than buy them.....

--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

On Oct 16, 12:53 pm, Janet Tweedy wrote:

Yes I would like them potted it was just that I thought from your other
email that they might get to the desired height quicker if I put them in
the soil for a couple of years!

It's cheaper to grow my own than buy them.....

--


Stuff in my garden grow much much better in the soil than in pots. I
have a holly that I moved, and it came to no harm whatsoever. I've
just moved it again and so far it seems fine.

On 16/10/07 12:45, in article
, "
wrote:

On 15 Oct, 23:21, Sacha wrote:
Hollies grow in sun and in shade. Also, I think the problem here is that
the roots have had nowhere to go, so couldn't pick up any nutrients at an
important stage in their development, i.e. adjusting to their new
environment.

There is a fungi disease that is serious if the tree is in damp and
shade and which attack the leaves and then the twigs. If the tree is
kept at the base to light and with plenty of air it will thrive, hence
my question about sun or shade. I am not entirely sure that BlueFlower
has kept the hessian bag on - I feel we can only speculate from her
post.

I cannot see anything speculative in: "They were bought with the root ball
wrapped in hessian, which I planted intact as I'd heard that hollies don't
like their roots being disturbed."

snip

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

Sacha wrote:

I cannot see anything speculative in: "They were bought with the
root ball wrapped in hessian, which I planted intact as I'd heard
that hollies don't like their roots being disturbed."

snip

but the removal of Hessian wrapping is not so clear cut as you suggest :
See http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile...ootwrapped.asp

pk

In article , Sacha
writes

I cannot see anything speculative in: "They were bought with the root ball
wrapped in hessian, which I planted intact as I'd heard that hollies don't
like their roots being disturbed."


I assumed the same thing Sacha. I'm sure the OP wouldn't have considered
'unintacting' the actual roots themselves!
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

In article , p.k.
writes

but the removal of Hessian wrapping is not so clear cut as you suggest :
See http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile...ootwrapped.asp

pk


The RHS text says for 'placement' in hole, only, not leaving it there
and backfilling!

The builders at a house we used to lives at some years ago had left the
hessian sack on every one of a row of conifers in the garden. Luckily it
killed the conifers stone dead after three years as they couldn't fight
their way out of the sacking
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

On 16/10/07 16:16, in article , "Janet
Tweedy" wrote:

In article , Sacha
writes

I cannot see anything speculative in: "They were bought with the root ball
wrapped in hessian, which I planted intact as I'd heard that hollies don't
like their roots being disturbed."


I assumed the same thing Sacha. I'm sure the OP wouldn't have considered
'unintacting' the actual roots themselves!

It sounds a bit like Peonies which everyone 'knows' can't bear to be
disturbed and yet, how many of us know people who have happily dug up theirs
and moved them around the garden, only to have them flourish next year?!
I asked Ray about starting your hollies off in the ground and then potting
them up. He says you can always try it but feels you'll get healthier
plants in the end if they start their lives in pots and remain that way. If
you have a number to 'play' with, would it be worth experimenting?

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

On Oct 16, 2:05 pm, Sacha wrote:
I cannot see anything speculative in: "They were bought with the root ball
wrapped in hessian, which I planted intact as I'd heard that hollies don't
like their roots being disturbed."

You may be right. I just find it a bit strange. I wouldn't have done
it. That's why I want to know how old are these hollies and
confirmation from BlueFlower. Where is she?!