I want to raise the canopy of my mature holly tree to put a bench under it. How and when do I do it?
The best time to prune a holly is in late summer, the idea being that it won’t have time to put on any new growth before winter sets in. In reality, you can prune now, as crown lifting, as this technique is known, is very different from pruning a hedge. In spring you may see a flush of growth from the places you have pruned, but you’ll just have to keep removing these new shoots.
Trim lower branches back to the trunk using loppers or a pruning saw. Look for the branch collar – the slight bulge where branch meets trunk – and make your cut just outside this point. Go slowly, as once a branch is gone, there’s no going back. If you add whole holly branches to the compost heap you’ll be cursing those prickly leaves for years to come, so shred them first. Alternatively, you could be thrifty and use the branches to protect emerging broad beans from nibbling mice; or make a dead hedge somewhere hidden as a wildlife habitat.
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