Returned to Holly after a difficult first attempt

My first attempt at Holly failed — leggy and open growth habit from insufficient light got hold of it and I didn't know what I was looking at until it was too late. I left it alone for a year before trying again.

The second attempt, with proper attention to deadheading where appropriate to extend the flowering season, has been completely different. It's now thriving in a wildlife garden with berrying and nectaring shrubs and permanent woody structure providing year-round garden framework is on full display. summer flowering on the current season's growth this year was a genuine reward for starting again. If you failed first time, the plant isn't the problem — the conditions probably were.