Question
QUESTION: First of all thank you for your time. My wife and I bought a beautiful Foster's Holly about a year ago, but over the winter it has lost all its leaves. It looks as if it is still alive with green new branch growth, but it is still bare. We live in Zone 6 (KY). Is there anything we can do to save it? We have Holly Tone, but don't know what else we can do. Thank you again.

ANSWER: Hi Edwin

I'm sorry to hear that you're tree is in trouble, too bad.

If there has been no serious root damage and the plant hasn't been overwatered then the only explanation is cold. Cold winds can kill one plant, while often leaving the others undamaged.

If you receive damp nights with freezing temperatures and warm morning sunshine during the winter then one side of the plant could be damaged.

How old is the tree?

Regards

Jonathan www.ecologicagardens.com

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QUESTION: Thank you Jonathan again for your time.

I don't know exactly how old the tree is, but it about 4ft. tall if that helps any. It was not overwatered and the roots seem fine (since you mentioned it, I didn't think of that), but we did have a very strange winter.
It would be bitter cold and then we would have spring-like weather.

We planted the tree around late summer and things seemed great until middle of winter. That's when it declined.

We feel that there is hope with the green branch growth and some sprouting here and there, so is there anything we can do to help and give it a fighting chance. It looks like it wants to live.

Answer
Hello Edwin, another problem could occur if the holly is planted in full sun, as hollies appreciate shade, sometimes dense shade.

Try clipping back all of the dead wood and trimming the whole plant by about a third of its current size. This will stimulate the plant into growing new shoots and help the root system too.

Goo  luck

Jonathan