Holly Bushes: Making Hedgeway

One of the first things I planted was a line of holly bushes. Besides establishing the front garden beds, growing a holly hedge for Scarlett’s garden was a priority. But I knew it would take time. Here is what I’ve learned over the past three years growing our hedge.

Planting: Plant each bush 6 feet apart in a place where the bushes will get plenty of sunlight. This will encourage growth at every angle and avoid disproportionate growth at the top of the bush.

Patience: The hedge will take time to establish. It’s been three years and some of the branches are getting close, but not quite touching. The line of Nellie Stevens bushes in Scarlett’s Garden are actually growing vertically very fast and are incredibly dense. We just need to be patience for the bushes to meet!

Maintenance: If the hollies do become too top heavy, make sure to trim them in the shape of a Christmas tree. This way the top branches will not block any sunlight for the bottom of the bushes. As the hollies continue to grow vertically to form a hedge, it will become more difficult to establish density at the bottom if the bottom branches are not given enough exposure to grow.

Holly-tone: You can feed your hollies with this organic fertilizer in the early spring. You can also use Holly-tone in the late fall, but more sparingly. I certainly notice a big difference in the berries when I use it twice a year.