I collected this holly a few years ago. Did some hard root pruning in spring 2020 to get it into this pot, and have let it grow wild since then. Read about the work from last year here. As you can see, it is big and hairy and needs a trim.
Don’t be fooled by this front view though. The crown is coming toward you, and back branches need to be positioned and developed to catch up. Here’s a view from the side so you can see what I mean.
This holly has proven to be extremely vigorous, and after this styling I will have to keep on top of it to develop finer branching. I am confident in its ability to back bud and fill in, though. In fact, the first thing I need to do is remove several suckers growing from the base of the trunk.
The next step is to analyze the structure and remove whole branches that don’t serve the future of the tree. I remove branches that are too thick, in a poor location, pointing the wrong direction, or conflicting with a better branch in the same area. The goal is to leave a better primary structure to build off of. In the image below you can see where several branches have been cut.
The remaining branches were far too long. I shortened them by selecting cuts that would leave a better taper as the branch moved away from the trunk.
A few guy wires were applied to pull primary branches down into position, and a nice shape for the silhouette was my goal for the final length adjustments.
Bonsai Iterate 