Let's clear up some of the details: you say that your new neighbor crossed the legal properly line to prune the shrubs? On your side? If your shrubs begin to regrow, what makes you think that this will not happen again? What did the neighbors say about this and why do you think that it will not get 'nasty'?

The older the plant, the more difficult recovery will be. It takes an enormous amount of energy for a plant to replace that much loss. Some pictures of this damage would be helpful (and interesting).

Sybl- This comes to you from a former owner of a 30 acre holly nursery who has, on occasion, cut mature Ilex trees back to stubs along the trunk. The proper way to prune a holly even if only for a few branches at Christmas is to study each branch carefully and then cut back to a strong "Y" in the branch cutting just above the last bud on each of the branches that form the "Y". Hope you understand this explanation!

Hollies thrive in your VA climate. Yours should revive and grow well. As you know they send out a second period of growth later on in the summer which will give you an indication of how they are recovering. For now I have two suggestions:

1. Take the time to go over your side of the butchered plants, make sure the cuts are clean and try to have as many branches as possible ending in the "Y" I described which will give you strong, well branched, tight new growth.

2. Go easy on fertilizer. The inclination would be to feed heavily to give them a kick start, but baby them for a few years with light feedings and water at the base during dry periods as the roots are no longer shaded.

I'm confused. How much of what he cut was on his side of the property line, and how much was on your side?

I think the hollies will be alright. As rhizo mentioned though, unless you put your foot down I would think that any regeneration on your neighbors side will just get cut again.

Pictures wouldn't hurt.

Oh, I can sympathize. Years ago, I planted a row of Fraser Firs about 6 feet inside of the back lot line, at the time backing up to a vacant field. I figured that was far enough in to screen and avoid any major problems, and if they wanted to cut their side past the lot line, so be it.

Well, it was developed, there were 3 separate houses built that touched my lot line. I marked the EXACT lot line with a temporary rope fence and signs during construction and left that up until one of the new "neighbors" asked me to take it down because it was "ugly". So, I was nice and did it.

Well, the guy in the middle house came over the lot line one day and trimmed all of the branches to the trunk that pointed anywhere along the 180 degree line parallel to the lot line. And had the nerve to leave half of the prunings and mess behind as well. I'd already had problems with these people throwing branches and debris from their trees on my side, dumping it under the firs.

I was so LIVID. I saw him in the yard and from my side told him that he had no right to do what he did, told him where the lot line was again, and said that I had better not EVER see him cross the lot line and damage anything. But of course, fraser fir doesn't regenerate from the trunk, so damage was done. Still there but much less full and ugly. I guess I could have tried to sue him, but that would be just adding more drama that I didn't need.

I should have planted them further in, but basically once you put up a fence, hedge, whatever, the land on the other side is functionally part of the other yard, even if legally its still yours -- it's generally too small to use for anything worthwhile, so other than a little maintenance you tend to never set foot there. I didn't want to give up more than 6 feet plus the amount they come over in my direction.

Eh, this is why I prefer a fence... I don't care what happens to the opposite side of it ;)

Will the holly regrow?....Almost certainly. As Nandina alluded to, most hollies (I don't think you told us what kind you had) can take severe pruning and bounce right back with no problem.

Should you approach the neighbor?....Definitely, but I'd do so very carefully and only when you have gotten over (at least to some degree) the shock. Remember that their viewpoint of what they did may be very different than yours. You will need to communicate your concerns, but it seems prudent to realize they may not have purposely done anything wrong (Some people just don't understand these things).

Should you use insecticide on the holly?....NO!! At least not unless there's something going on you haven't mentioned. I'm a little baffled at why your friend would have suggested that, and believe you should definitely ignore her advise unless there's something you haven't mentioned.

Should you use Holly Tone?....Not unless you should have anyway. First the Holly Tone will NOT "help them with their loss of food-stuff" due to pruning. If your friend suggested that, she is ignorant (as in unaware) of the concepts involved. If your holly was healthy to start with, you do not need to use any type of fertilizer or supplement now. If it wasn't healthy to start with, and you suspect a lack of nutrients, then light fertilization may be in order.

Oh............that grief was so unneccesary. It would have been so easy for the folks next door to have approached you and said they wanted you to bring your plants into the boundaries of your own property. Had they done it that way, it would have given you the chance to do the pruning properly. I own/owned several town properties and have always approached the folks to both sides of the houses to discuss with them any tree work or pruning I wanted to do, even if it involved my trees next to but totally on my property. The quickest way to invoke ire is to make those parties feel totally powerless just because you legally can. They have always given their approval and even invited me to access their property to do the work.

Yes, hollies regenerate after some pretty drastic pruning.

Thank all of your for your help, empathy, and encouraging words. I believe they will recover and look good from my side at least! Yes, former neighbors have always consulted us if they wanted to cut something and we always allowed it. It feels like an insult that our neighbors did this. And, yes, my husband is trying to get his anger under control and have responses prepared. He is not well and I don't want him upset. I offered to talk to the neighbor myself, but he says it's not my place. I am a Master Gardener and have had access to lots of advice and information and could put up a really congenial but accurate argument, but I will leave it to him. I needed your input to confirm all I've read and been told. There is nothing like experience. Thank you.

I came across this thread while searching for similar answers to a problem I have. We have a large, beautiful holly tree at the corner of our house. We recently had an arborist come to trim several trees on our property. We had a miscommunication with what we wanted done to the holly and he trimmed the lower branches all the way to the trunk so that it now looks like a deciduous tree. This is not what we wanted at all! I am heartbroken and sorely miss the full Christmas-tree look it previously had. It's a very large, mature tree, probably 12 feet tall and was about 10 feet wide at the base. Since this thread is several years old now, I'm curious how your tree situation turned out. Do you have any updates to share?

Your husband says it's "not your place" to talk to the neighbor...it's his..." And then I see the date is 2012. Hopefully the OP has been liberated!

What is "the OP" ???

OP = original poster. In other words, the person who started the post.

Thanks!

Can my row of Holly trees be saved? They took a hit from the drought one year ago, but got plenty of rain this year. Some still have a few leaves and berries especially around the bottom portion. I actually have three left that are beautiful. I'm unsure as to the fate of the rest of them. They started out well, and even have some berries...but also brown leaves and leaf loss after the drought. I don't want to lose them. They were my only screen and a house is being built next door.

Best just to start your own thread with a new post. Showing pictures and other pertinent information with some history of your plants and general location in the world.

You'll get more attention and better answers about your problem.

Welcome to the forums! :-)

Look at your state statutes. In WA, Timber Trespass RCW 62.12.030 is major and makes the person responsible for any damage to trees on the property of another liable for fines and restitution at 3x the value of the damaged tree.

Look at your state statutes. In WA State, Timber Trespass RCW 64.12.030 makes liable the person who damages plantings on the property of another at 3x its value or cost to replace.

Kacee Blackwell, what happened with your American Holly Tree? I recently had the same issue: the bottom branches of our tree were pruned back to the trunk (photo attached). I’ve been searching the internet to learn whether the branches might regrow and/or if I can encourage growth of new branches, but I am coming up short. What was your experience? Any tips on methods that worked for you?

I see that this thread is old, but I do not see a more recent one. Thank you!