Dear Neil: We have had this unknown tree in our courtyard for 22 years. The landscaper who planted it is out of business. It died in the wintertime, but it is coming back strongly from its roots. I would like to prune it and retrain it, but I don’t know when or how to prune it. Please identify it, and advise me.

This is a yaupon holly. I am amazed that it would have frozen back. I have seen thousands of photographs of other plant species that froze, but this is the first yaupon. You are correct in wanting to prune it and retrain it. Cut the dead trunks back as close to the ground as you can. Let all the new shoots develop for the rest of this growing season. Select seven or eight that you leave to develop into trunks next spring. By fall 2022 you will be able to select three to five that will be the permanent trunks. Remove all the rest. You will be very pleased with how quickly your plant re-develops. Obviously, its roots are still very healthy.

Dear Neil: Is there a spray I can use to get rid of a very invasive vine in my jasmine bed?

Not without running the risk of damaging the jasmine. You would be trying to kill one species of broadleafed vine growing within another species of broadleafed vine. You’re going to need to use both hands to scoop the long stems of this weed together into a large ball and then cut or pull it out of the jasmine. It will come back, so you’ll need to repeat a time or two. Try not to let it get this far involved the second time around.

Dear Neil: My husband and I have had this magnolia in a large pot for four years. It finally became too large to keep in the greenhouse, so we planted it this past April. We have been watering it weekly during dry spells. Suddenly it started developing brown spots on its leaves, and many of the leaves have been falling. No chemicals have been used near it, and we don’t see any kind of insects. What might be causing this?

This plant has gotten too dry one or more times. That is what causes browning on magnolia leaves. You don’t want to water according to the calendar. You need to water when the soil begins to dry one to two inches down. For a new plant, that water must be applied to the original soil ball by deep and slow soaking from the end of the garden hose. I water all of my newly planted trees and shrubs every two or three days when temperatures are in the 90s or above. It would be almost impossible to over-water trees and shrubs in midsummer.

Have a question you’d like Neil to consider? Email him at mailbag@sperrygardens.com. Neil regrets that he cannot reply to questions individually.