Youpons take very well to shearing and rejuvenation pruning. If you cut those at the base and start over, you will have an army of suckers to shape into whatever your heart desires. Personally, I think yours like fine as is. John Edit: Oh and I would cut them within an inch or two of the ground late next winter. As for cutting them at height, my experience with these is they will send out suckers from any and all exposed wood left. So your entire stems would be covered in new growth that could be pinched off in any areas that are undesirable to you. This post was edited by j0nd03 on Mon, Jun 24, 13 at 18:46

kinetikx, Where you say you have many other hollys in your yard it just might be a mutant cross that sprouted up. I'm not saying it is... just throwing that idea out to you. If you can't get an id on it then let some seeds mature, plant a few and see if any sprouts resemble the parent hollys growing in your yard. Lou

Dwarf Burford has really wicked thorns and may not be freeze free in your area. Heller's Holly comes in several sizes from 2 feet to 6 feet depending on cultivar. I would recommend a native like yaupon holly. It comes in dwarf, tree or weeping varieties. It will tolerate heat, humidity, some shade and acid soils. Plus it looks more natural in the woodland setting you are building. Did I mention the weeping variety has lots of berries in the fall and winter. Mulch with some oak leaves and it will look totally natural.

Well, removing the hedge would be the perfect non toxic solution except it would be toxic to my back and bank account ... LOL The hedge is quite long and has been in place for 30 years. Since 75% of it is still good and the dwarf nandinas will fill in the bare spots, plus being that I am on the way to being three times older than the hedge, removing it is not on my agenda. The damage progresses slowly. Since it seems that organic sprays do not kill the pathogen and require weekly spraying just to keep it from spreading I may just have to live with it. Thanks to all who read this and gave consideration to treatment options ... :-)