By Peanuts
Surrey,
United Kingdom 
Anyone know how to make a holly into a standard. I have a scraggy holly at the back of my garden. (first photo), is there anyway I can get it to become a neater standard holly such as one I saw in someone else's garden (second photo). Any advice ? I cut it back loads last year but at that stage not with the standard idea in mind. Anyone got a magic wand ?
29 Dec, 2013
Answers
Even so there will probably always be a little kink in the middle of the trunk. If you want a perfect one it might be better to start again, and plant a bit further away from the other tree.
29 Dec, 2013
To get the shape of the crown of the second photo, it looks like a lot of work and scratched arms 2-3 times a year to trim it. Can you see yourself getting up on a stepladder behind your one in 5 years time?
I inherited one like yours with my house years ago, and on a whim I cut it down to 3 feet and told it that I'd be digging it out. I then got side-tracked, and it's become an ice-cream cone shape (inverted) on a leg, as tall as the house... took a while though.
30 Dec, 2013
Lol Teadrinker!
30 Dec, 2013
It looks as though there are two trunks(?) which is not the best. Usually, to make a standard, you choose the strongest upright for the main stem, and cut away all lower branches. It will take a while for the main stem to thicken up, so you may need that magic wand: good luck!
29 Dec, 2013