Holly invasion

hshouston

I recently moved to a new house and with that I inherited a garden full of holly. I'm partial to a bit of holly but every corner I look, another holly tree has sprouted up. I have tried cutting back and digging some out but the roots are so tough it's a huge, endless task. Also, it's sprouting up close to other trees and I don't want to disrupt their root system. Any advice welcome! 

steephill

Constant vigilance needed I'm afraid to say.  They sprout everywhere in my garden too thanks to birds appetites for the berries. They will also layer themselves very readily. I left some branches which I had chopped off on the ground in a quiet corner and a year later they had rooted all along their lengths where they touched the ground.

FlyDragon

I just glyphosate them as soon as I see them popping up, but it doesn’t stop new ones appearing every year, you just have to get them while they’re little.

hshouston

Thanks both, I wondered if it would be a constant battle! Have you tried digging out roots or do you not bother and wait until they surface?