Q: I believe you said on television that a plant that has been pot bound for some time is no longer any good. I have some dwarf ‘Burford’ hollies that have been in one gallon pots for two years. I was going to use them as foundation plantings on the side of our house, but I would like to be sure they will grow to at least a four foot height.

A: I believe you said on television that a plant that has been pot bound for some time is no longer any good. I have some dwarf ‘Burford’ hollies that have been in one gallon pots for two years. I was going to use them as foundation plantings on the side of our house, but I would like to be sure they will grow to at least a four foot height. Robert Hand

A: It’s fine to plant pot-bound shrubs. All you have to do is to untangle the roots before you plant. But do you realize that “dwarf” ‘Burford’ holly grows rapidly to ten feet tall and ten feet wide? Are you SURE you want to use it close to the house? Bruce Holliday from Pike Design Group says ‘Carissa’, ‘Soft Touch’, ‘Convexa’, ‘Compacta’ and dwarf yaupon hollies are better choices for a foundation plant.