Holly problems (Photo).

ripplyuk

sheramber said:

These have probably been grown in the ground until they were potted up for sale?

Oh, I didn’t realise they dig them up. The place I bought mine had them all in pots but they were smaller. 

twopenny

I think if you are fiddling with trimming the top and roots every year and disturbing it it finally isn't able to sustain it's growth.
You need to leave.it undisturbed for at least 3 yrs before you fiddle.
Repot in an inch or two bigger every 2 or 3yrs.
It shouldn't need feeding much. Some bonemeal spring and autumn to help the roots regrow.

ripplyuk

@twopenny I don’t want it to grow. Not too big. I want it to fit into this pot forever. That’s why I was trimming the roots as well. I was told that would keep it small. Is that a bad idea? 

I could plant it in the garden but I still don’t want it to be huge. 

twopenny

You can trim the roots on a shrub but not continuously.
If you are pruning the leaves off and the roots the plant has nothing to feed itself with.
You can't keep a plant that would want to grow 10ft high at 1ft for more than a year or two.

Nurseries can grow them in small pots but only for a few months at most. Then they start to die. But they sell them while they are still healthy.

If you want that pot and that size shrub i fear you will need a different shrub.
There a a lot of new small leaved varieties if you do a bit of hunting. Good luck

TonyMMM

We have an established holly bush in the garden - every year at about this time it sheds some leaves...... absolutely normal.

Alnat1

Quite a lot of hollies varieties are used as bonsai and the plants are kept small by trimming roots and keeping in a small pot, so that shouldn't be a problem. Consider yours as a bonsai and look at care guides for bonsai for tips.

It will need good drainage and very regular watering, every couple of days, daily if very warm. Little and often is better than a once a week soak.

You may have overfed, which can cause nutrients to actually leech from the plant. Once a fortnight in the growing season with half strength seaweed/tomato feed should be fine.

Good luck with your little plant, it's obviously special and means a lot to you.