Struggling with Holly — would appreciate advice

I want to be honest: I'm not getting great results with Holly and I'm not entirely sure why. leggy and open growth habit from insufficient light has been a recurring problem despite my attempts to address it. I've been focusing on mulching around the base annually to feed and retain moisture based on everything I've read.

generally low maintenance once established is there in glimpses, which tells me the plant has potential in my conditions. I have it in a low-maintenance foundation planting around a house which might not be ideal. summer flowering on the current season's growth showed some improvement. Two stars for now — not the plant's fault, but not a success yet. I'll update if things improve.