Wherewerewe, I am interested in your shasta viburnum and the hollyhocks, but the only thing I have on your list are a couple of asian lilies. I do live in the Triad, though. (Why don't you come to the swap June 17?) Would you like some confederate jasmine cuttings? They're very fragrant. Kitty

SE Georgia, zone 8b, gardening issues more like zones 7-9. About sky pencil holly - yes, I bought 12 sky pencil holly from Lowes for $64 ea - 7 gallon size, 5'-6' in height. I needed them for a strong vertical statement in my landscaping scheme and it was my only choice in my planting zone. They get direct west sun from noon to sunset with slim to none protection. I cultivated the acidic soil base with about 4 inches of amendments appropriate for evergreen planting. The cultivated area measured 24'x10' in front of a solid (no windows) outside wall. I placed the sky pencil in a staggered pattern in front of the wall. Sky Pencils are dependable performers. Although they grow VERY slowly, they can be easily pruned. Most people wouldn't bother, but I'm very picky and I prune. Sky Pencils don't mind pruning at all. Other vertical evergreen choices (junipers/arborvitae) don't like pruning and if you have a bad spot, you're basically stuck with it. Not so with Sky Pencils. Give them plenty of acidic, nicely draining, good soil and pay attention to their water needs and they will perform. They grow exceedingly slowly, so if you need height and don't have 20 years to wait, buy tall or choose something else. Very dependable everygreen foliage for zones 7-9.

You need to be more specific about 'ratty'! Ilex crenata 'Sky Pencil' is a terrific plant, isn't it? Yep, it's another japanese holly. I'm crazy about it. Splashing soil on it would not cause problems, but planting too deeply can. Of course, we don't know if you've been watering it enough, and all that. Does the soil drain well? I've been specifying these plants fairly frequently lately, and have seen no problems with transplant shock (which is something of a myth). I went back to visit some that were installed last year and they have done beautifully.

Sorry for the necro-post, but I came across this thread as I was Googling for something else. I just wanted to chime in with my observations... I work with a tree guy and these Ligustrums are one of our top three removal trees. Hackberry and red cedar are the others. The main reason for removal is because they get way, way too large for the area in which they are planted. Other major reasons are a desire to 'go native' and the mess that they leave with the berries. The boss can't stand these things, and he's one who will go to great lengths to save an otherwise-healthy tree... even a hackberry. People call hacks 'trash trees' and while they do have some bad habits, are weak, and are not very long-lived trees compared to other species-- they do provide good homes for wild birds, butterflies (hackberry emperors and tawny emperors especially) and other critters. Even for all of the negatives that we commonly associate with hacks, he would rather save a hackberry over a ligustrum.