We planted two of these last fall along with Virginia Sweetspire. They're about two feet tall and look a bit sparse. I'd like to encourage more stems and a fuller appearance. Do they respond to pruning by filling in like most plants? Thanks for your insight.
First question is pruning what is called for. Maybe you are seeing the normal winter appearance for this shrub.
To answer your question, they don't look any different than when they were planted last fall. We didn't prune them when they were newly planted. They don't have a lot of branching and look a little sparse. I thought they might respond to pruning the way shrubs do. It's said they're slow growers, so I hesitated to cut them back until I asked someone who knows hollies.
