Thank you Ken. Here's a picture of one. I'm just not sure if I should leave it for a couple more years and let the trunks thicken a bit more before I begin pruning.

Wow...a bit close to the house. I suspect the builder thought you'd keep them small and clipped? If you are still insistent that they should be trees, select the trunk(s) that you want now...don't wait.

I plan on moving them. Thanks

Looks more like Ilex crenata to me.

But anyways, I have plenty of tree form Yaupons growing back in the woods. Its not difficult, just keep trimming off the lower branches. They do sucker badly though.

Are you sure that's a Yaupon? It looks more like a Japanese holly (Ilex crenata), which is more a shrub than a small tree. And it would be a mistake to limb it up as a tree. Can you provide a closeup of branch?

This is under a window and I would just hack it back to below the window line (generally you don't want to cover windows).

But really, there are better varieties that grow shorter for that location. Ilex crenata are a dime a dozen so that is likely why there were planted there. Of course it depends upon your location, which I don't see.

move them as soon as possible.. this spring.. i dont know the timing for your area ..

all leaves are food making machines.. and since you will be cutting off most of its roots to move.. leave them all there until fall ...

we dont cut off roots.. and half the leaves.. and expect vigor ...

and that is when i might start taking some of the branches down low ...

when planning to prune into a form.. it very wise.. to start with a plant.. that already has the tendencies you want ... so you start somewhere along the project time line ...

this one is already clumping.. or suckering... and i suspect its going to be quite an ongoing battle.. to turn it into a tree form ...

if you are up for learning.. and the struggle.. go for it ... it will be a great learning experience ... i would guess.. it will take 5 to 10 years to accomplish your goal ...

but if you are thinking this is a one time pruning.. and life will be good... just get rid of them [they are too close to the house] ... and look for a plant.. more conducive to your goal ... or.. move these out to some place.. where you can love it.. in its current form ...

ask if you dont know how to dig them ... perhaps in a new post ...

you must perfect PROPER WATERING for about 2 years ... and though you have the best drip line know to man .. well.. me anyway ... that is insufficient to insure proper deep watering on a large transplant ...

ken

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your help!

I think I'm up for the challenge. I've never been a big fan of the yaupon shrubs because I'm not a fan of "manicured lawns" with shaped shrubs and such. That's what most people around me have done with theirs as they grow bigger. Just a personal preference. I like things more organic, natural. That said, I know it sounds counter intuitive, but I've seen the yaupon pruned as trees and like them.

How much space do I need to give them? We plan on moving at least two of them to a bed along our fence, and one near our ac unit to give it some shade/screening. How far should I plant them from the other objects or other plants?

Also, do you think I could transplant some of them to a pot for now? We aren't ready to plant all of them right now. Just 2 or 3 of the 4 right now.

The drip line is currently only around our foundation. What do you mean by perfect watering for this plant when we move it?

Thanks again!

Meghan

Both the builder and local nursery told me they were yaupon hollies. I'll try to get a close up picture and post it tmrw. Thanks!

Well, there are much smaller-growing cultivars of yaupon (such as 'Bordeaux') for such uses. Perhaps you can move this plant to a better location.

In fact, what are those lower shrubs in front? Those could actually be dwarf yaupons (or abelia, I can't quite tell).

How much space do I need to give them?

They will eventually want to get 15 to 20 feet wide and about as tall unless you espalier or do other planer pruning along the wall. Looks enough like yaupon to me to think your builder probably has it right. Most of the 20+ year old ones in our neighborhood have been trained as multi-trunk trees, but have seen single trunk used nicely more often in newer plantings.

Could help to know the gender of your plants before you move them - there's a small chance the builder/nursery might know. Berries on the females change the look (improve, imho) and would be nice to have matching plants, male or female, anywhere you may be wanting some symmetry.

Dave: the shrubs in front are Japanese boxwood.

bostedo: I haven't seen berries on any of them in the 2 years we've been here. Do the berries appear at a certain age of plant?

Not certain, but believe they should flower at that size within the next
six weeks or so, which is likely the best way to determine gender.
Flowers are pretty discrete and differences between male and female are
shown at archive of central Texas plants - ilex vomitoria and similar sites. Builder might know if they were cutting propagated female plants, but more likely they used generic nursery stock.

If plants are flowering, lack of berries could be due to either no females or no nearby male pollinator. Have also seen some hollies take a few years after they start flowering to hold substantial fruit, but could usually still find a berry or two looking closely at the plant.

The little shrubs in front look like Dwarf Yaupons. The larger one seems to have opposite leaves, making it a boxwood.

Good call on the opposite leaves. That big one just didn't look like Yaupon to me.

I suggested the smaller ones in front might be dwarf yaupon, but the OP said they were boxwood. It appears the plants are the just opposite of what the OP said.

It's really hard to give good advice until the plants can be positively ID'd.

rhizo_1, That would be another explanation for no berries. :-) Think you are probably right. Can find opposing leaves with yaupon's more random placement, but not as consistent as those terminal shoots. Was distracted by color; boxwoods that do well around here don't hold that darker green on old growth.

Y'all? McCarthy, you must be from Texas! Front shrubs are dwarf yaupon, back one is boxwood, & it looks like it's gonna be a tall variety, 4+ft. Way to close to the house now, but moved out & 2-3 added they would eventually make a good screen/shade for your A/C unit. Boxwood cannot be pruned into tree form, will always be mulit-trunked w/leaves all the way down. Yours looks like a nice speciman now, & left alone it should grow into a beautiful full shrub. They can take heat & humidity, but don't let them totally dry out. There are many old (20yr+) boxwoods around Houston. Happy gardening, LG (KatyTX)

Recall seeing them pruned into conifer-like cones, but not as single or multi-trunk tree like standard yaupon. Probably depends a lot on the type of boxwood you have; the ones commonly used in our neighborhood seem to max out under 8 ft, but elsewhere there are examples like this century old ~20 ft American boxwood in VA.