No odor, but sprinklers have likely run at least once since the deed was done. Don't recall seeing anything larger than German Shepherds, Labs, or Golden Retrievers in the neighborhood. Seems there must be a Mastiff or similar around if this was done by a dog. No frat house, but suppose it could be belated payback for fencing off a favorite late-night shortcut of neighborhood teens a few years back. Not worried about this particular bush since it will be transplanted or removed this winter. However, have several others that would hate to see brown up like this if it is due to disease rather than my swag of temporary damage from some topical "treatment" . Thanks for your inputs.

I didn't know pinching the tips would make a yaupon denser. I'll have to remember that trick. Also didn't know that the males grow faster.---Hmmm. I do need them to be big fast though. While I love the intense red color of a Photinia, I probably won't use it because we had a gorgeous hedge of them at our old house, and one by one they developed fungal leaf spot and died.--Spraying with a fungicide didn't do a thing, nor did making the soil extra rich. I too have heard if you let Photonias grow to be the tree they really want to be that they're healthier, but for what I need, I can't do that. (There is a Photinia growing in the courtyard of Bedicheck Middle School in Austin that is phenomenal, but it has grown into a tree, not a bush.) I'll have to do some research on eleagnus because I'm not that familiar with it. Thanks for the suggestions.

I don't grow in, but I do see it growing fairly happily around the Valley, so it can be done. The topiary letters of the Biltmore Resort are in yaupon holly and they've done great for years and years and years. I'm curious to hear first hand tips/tricks from folks with long term success, but I can vouch that they are grown around the Valley (athough not by me, hah). Happy gardening!

If it's evergreen, then possibly Dahoon. Leaves are really chewed up, so hard to tell. Dahoon has mostly entire margins (rather than spined). It is a US native. But I don't think I've ever seen Dahoon with scalloped leaf margins? Maybe there's some variability?