Our holly hedge has taken a beating this winter - a few plants have died and the rest is very 'straggly'. It is about ten years old and about 2ft. 6ins high. We are thinking of cutting it back to about 1ft. and fertilizing it. Is this a good idea and what kind of fertilizer is best?
I wouldn't remove more than twenty percent at a time. But actually, if the shrubs are stressed why cut them at all? Let them grow and become healthy. Just remove the dead branches. Fertilizing with a Rhodo and Azalea fertilizer will work. How were they damaged? Piled on snow from the road that contained salt? Flooding?