Pruning the Holly
Wintertime pruning chores continue at my Bedford, New York farm.
Pruning is about more than just looks; proper pruning improves the health of the plants, prevents disease, and encourages better flowering. There are different pruning strategies for different times of the year, but overall the goals are the same - to control the shape, to keep the bushes fresh and open, and to allow for better air circulation through the center of the plants. This week, Chhewang, from my outdoor grounds crew, pruned the holly bushes located behind my Summer House. With their lush, evergreen foliage and bright berries among most varieties, holly bushes make attractive additions in the landscape but need annual trimming to keep them looking their best.
Here are some photos and tips, enjoy.
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- Holly is among the most recognizable plants with its shiny leaves and red berries. Known botanically as Ilex, holly is a genus of about 480 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae. The species include evergreen or deciduous trees, shrubs, and climbers from tropics to temperate zones worldwide.
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- I have a long line of holly shrubs growing near my Summer House. These evergreens create a nice dense hedge that can grow up to 20 feet high and can be trimmed into precise shapes or left to grow more naturally.
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- Holly’s glossy leaves look crisp and beautiful all year long. They have alternate simple leaves, and the leaves of many species have wavy margins tipped with spines.
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- The female holly shrubs produce long-lasting red berries in the fall, but to grow holly berries, one needs to plant a few male shrubs among the female ones for pollination.
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- My female holly shrubs are full of berries.
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- Here is a male holly shrub. Typically, it takes one mature male per acre of females to provide the pollen for honeybees to pollinate the flowers and to create berries.
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- Holly shrubs can become unwieldy if left unpruned. Therefore, trimming holly is important for keeping the overall appearance in tip-top shape. Chhewang looks out for branches that aren’t growing in the desired direction, branches, twigs, and limbs that cross and may rub against each other, and any nuisance growth, such as one plant that interferes with the healthy development of another.
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- It is best to prune holly while the plant is dormant – in winter. Always be sure the pruning cuts are clean and smooth to encourage rapid wound healing. And cut branches just above new leaf buds.
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- Always remove any dead, damaged or diseased branches. to prevent entry points or build-up chambers for diseases and pests.
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- Here is the cross-section of a dead branch – it is very brown and woody in appearance, and has no foliage.
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- There is a lot to prune after one year, but it is important to do regularly in order to promote the plant’s natural shape and healthy growth.
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- Chhewang also uses a 30-inch long-handled bypass pruner to reach higher areas.
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- The cutters look very similar to hand pruners and provide sharp, accurate pruning.
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- Chhewang trims the wayward branches to shape the hedges and keep these evergreens dense and appropriately proportioned.
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- Chhewang has become a very excellent and skilled pruner and now oversees all the pruning of our smaller trees, shrubs, and bushes all around the farm.
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- The lower limbs are left to left to branch to the ground, so they look full.
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- Every so often, Chhewang steps back to see his work and to assess where more cutting is needed.
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- All the pruned branches are gathered and taken to the back-field where they will be chipped and repurposed for mulch.
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- Here’s Fernando, using my versatile Multipurpose Heavy-Duty XL Totes from my collection on QVC. Everyone on the crew loves these bags – they’re so useful around the home and garden.
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- And here is a finished section of pruned holly. These evergreen shrubs make an elegant, natural fence and the lush texture of the foliage blends seamlessly into the landscape. I am so pleased with how these shrubs have developed over the years.
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