Ilex x mesereveae 'Emerald Magic'...

[Forsoothe!]

Just bought one about ~2 gal, very healthy looking with nice basic wood the first 6 inches and all the foliage further out from there. For design purposes I would want to prune back beyond foliage everywhere leaving zero foliage. Can I do that to this species? I understand that it buds back well, but that well?

 

[Pitoon]

Pics?

 

[Forsoothe!]

Ilex x meserveae 'Emerald Magic' as purchased...


Going to somewhere like this...

 

[BonjourBonsai]

Just bought one about ~2 gal, very healthy looking with nice basic wood the first 6 inches and all the foliage further out from there. For design purposes I would want to prune back beyond foliage everywhere leaving zero foliage. Can I do that to this species? I understand that it buds back well, but that well?

Judging by your last photo, i guess you'll find out in the spring!

 

[Forsoothe!]

People shear these as low hedges and that usually means a plant can bud back pretty well.

 

[BonjourBonsai]

I have a different variety of ilex that I pruned very hard in April of 2020. It bounced back completely and back budded very well.

The first two photos are from yesterday and the last was from April. The tree really came back strong but like I just don't know if it could handle a sever chop before winter.

 

[Cable]

It should be fine

 

[Forsoothe!]

Took the plunge today. It turned out that a pair of branches that originally looked like good back branches were a separate smaller tree that had grafted to #1 below the soil line and could be ripped off and planted separately, which then made the prospective rear a better front. I was able to keep more of the tree, height-wise, but the old front is trimmed shorter than then the new front now. I'm leaving it like that until sometime next year after I see growth.



The pot is rootbound with fine roots. I excavated the top enough to expose the nebari, trimming off lots of small roots and rootlets above the nebari and then had to cover the area with some soil to let things settle in around the bigger roots.

 

[Forsoothe!]

Did not winter over. Dead, not really hardy here.