From the Sperry Garden – February, 2012

I bought a lovely 10-gallon Nellie R. Stevens holly for a very visible spot in our home landscape somewhere about 30 years ago. Increasingly, it had grown rather sparse at its bottom, and the top needed a little touchup to restore its good form.

It really wasn’t much of a chore. With long-handled loppers, hand shears and a small saw, it was quickly turned tree-form in less than one hour this week. And, that’s the way it will serve from this point forward.

Nellie R. Stevens holly is my favorite landscaping shrub. It’s tough. It’s handsome. And, it doesn’t cause problems. Now, it’s equally good as a small accent tree.

A big part of our successes as gardeners might be chalked up to repurposing of our plants as needs arise.