TREE AND SHRUBSLeaf it to me

are my holly shrubs dead?

last november, a friend dug up several holly shrubs and gave them to me. they were damaged in the removal…i removed damaged branches and planted them witin 24 hrs. in march, not seeing any signs of life, i pruned and shaped them, scratched bark at bottom and some had green. i fertilized with osmocote fertilizer about two weeks ago and have been watering but still have no new growth. any suggestions of what signs i should look for? any fertilizer suggestions?

Start at the tips of the branches and cut back until you come to green bark. That will give you a true sense of how much of it is dead. Do not fertilize until the shrub is established and growing or you’ll do more harm than good. Holly shrubs are very tempermental.

Gardening Tips : How to Prune a Holly Bush