What would you do with this Holly tree?

Hi everyone

I've known this holly tree for 15 years, and I've always noticed that the leaves were sparse, especially at the top. Various tree surgeons who have come to the garden have said it looks healthy, and that they've seen sparse ones before, but never at the crown. But in truth I have pretty well ignored it because it was in a bit of the garden which was . . . un-gardened!

Well all that changed this year, now the area has been designed, landscaped and it is very much used, and for the first time I can see the extent of the problem. The first image is of the whole tree, the second shows the crown, the third shows a typical branch -- long and straggly with leaves only at the end, the fourth shows that, despite these problems, there is quite a bit of strong growth, the fifth shows a branch with no leaves and the final one shows some pealing bark at the base.

There was lots of leaf drop this spring, mostly leaves with yellow and black spots. But the tree is making new leaves now quite normally.

There was some Virginia creeper growing through it.

Anyway -- advice please. Can it be saved?

 

It could be a type of canker.

 

If the Virginia creeper was quite dense and smothering then this could have caused the sparse leaves. It may also have caused the leaf spot through lack of air circulation. With the creeper now gone I'd leave it and see what recovery it makes over the rest of this year and through to next spring. If it produces more foliage I would consider giving it a prune at that point to give it some shape and help it fill out.

At the moment I would say the peeling bark is down to age.

 

Yes I'm sure that's good advice, though I'm skeptical that the creeper is at the root of the problem just because the leaves were sparse at the top, where no creeper ever crept.

 

The creeper would have affected the whole tree even if it hadn't covered it all, like ivy it probably had a strangle hold on it. It's down to you to decide whether you want to wait and see if it recovers or whether you want to remove it.

 

If it was me I would remove and replant. Haven't got the time to be messing about with it.