Styling Advice/Horticultural Advice on Prunus Ilicifolia

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Recently picked up this Hollyleaf Cherry tree as a Christmas gift to myself. I have two questions:

  1. I can’t find any information on this species being used for bonsai. Does anyone have any experience with it?

  2. I would love any styling advice! I’ll probably want a new leader to keep the “zig-zag” shape and maybe bend a branch down to be definitional? Completely open to any ideas.

Thanks all!!

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I have no experience with it, but Wikipedia states that it can be pruned back twice a year when used as a hedge which is very encouraging. I would prune back very hard and build a canopy above the already thick and interesting trunk. I would keep it small emphasize the current trunk rather than trying to create more upward movement. Nice Christmas present.

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Thanks for the input! Is this the trunk you’re referring to? If so I’m worried it suddenly gets too straight and doesn’t match the base, but maybe I’m over thinking it

I would be inclined to agree with the back budding. It has exploded in a few places where the nursery pruned it

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No, I was referring to what is below the spot where all of the branches emerge. The bottom middle picture of your original post would be my choice for the front. I would cut the straight trunk you highlighted back very hard - leaving about 1 to 1.5X the diameter at the most. Total tree height when done would be about 2X the distance from the ground to where all of the branches emerge. Might be a bit higher once you repot since I am guessing you will expose a bit of nebari.

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Oh I see what you’re saying. You would take off all the clumped branches and let it bifurcate from a selected 1 short leader? Significantly more aggressive than I was thinking, I like it. Thanks for the advice

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I wound cut the clump of branches about to about 2X their diameter and see where it buds. You can probably use some of them as the primary branches. for a spreading canopy. They will probably get cut back a bit further after the buds grow into branches and form collars. Some of them are a good thickness match to the trunk so there is no need to grow the thickness from scratch.