I think whether they have single or multiple trunks depends entirely on how they were trained when they were grown in the nursery. So there's no right or wrong. If you want leaves all the way to the ground, it doesn't matter. If you want them limbed up so that you can plant beneath them, then you'll obviously see the trunk(s) and it will make a difference aesthetically. I would talk to your landscaper and tell them what your expectations had been.

Mom, if you were agreed to the single trunk Palatkas, then you have every right to complain to the landscaper. Your multi-trunked plants may have been cheaper for the landscaper to buy....so don't let him get away with it. This is a plant that should be grown as a single trunked specimen; I suspect that yours were nursery culls (throw-aways).

When you get the new plants, be sure to ask to see the labels to make sure that they are East Palatka hollies, and not something else.

momtothree, In the bidding process they showed you what form of Palatka trees they were offering you. At the time if they told you the trees they showed you were single trunk trees then compare what they showed you to what they actually planted for you. If you see that what they planted appears entirely different than what they showed in the photos or what they wrote up in their bid, than clearly you do have a solid basis for not accepting the planting that they did. If you already paid them for the job they did, than in most states that establishes that you agreed with the job they did for you.

If they clearly led you to believe that they were offering to plant single trunk Palalka Holly trees, then you should certainly communicate with them your lack of satisfaction you have with what they planted.

If the landscaper accepts your objections, and agrees to replace those 5 trees in question, then, Great.

If not, please post more details for us about the size and shape of those 5 trees. Whatever you can include about the details of each of the trees in question will be very helpful. Once you do that a few others might reply back with instructions concerning if the trees in question can be saved. If so they might even be able to tell you how to prune away any modified main leaders that those trees have and give instructions on how to train them to grow as single main leader trees.

This is a holly with a naturally excurrent growth habit. It shouldn't have to be 'trained' at all. I'd even be suspicious that they are East Palatka hollies, in the first place.

I wouldn't barter with your landscaper for one second. You need to get properly grown E. P. hollies. Multi-trunked trees of this cultivar are atypical. Tell them you expected and still expect plants that are typical for the species.

rhizo_1, yes I am wondering what the growers did to make the muliti trunks of those supposed East Palatka trees to gain enough strength to not be falling over in a sprawled out fashion. That is why I requested more detailed descriptions from momtothree. More detailed information or photos of the trees in question would more clearly determine if the trees in fact are not the true East Palatka Holly that the landscaper specified he would plant.

Your comments are correct that the East Palatka tree is reported to only keep a good appearance if allowed to naturally keep growing in a single trunk. Those same reports also say that many nurseries are known to cut the main leaders on these trees, when they are still young. the same reports also say that main leader trunk pruning practice would result in multiple leaders forming in a bending fashion. Bending so far over that those forced mulit trunks begin growing horizontal instead of with strong vertical tendancies like would have been seen in a naturally grown single trunk, main leader East Palatka Holly.

I can't imagine any nursery training this particular tree to a multi-trunked form. On purpose. Absolutely, I've seen it done on a wide variety of trees that are commonly grown to that form. The East Palatka, however, is prized for its single-leader, pyramidal growth habit.