The Ideal Time Is Before Summer
Many plants, including holly, undergo a dormant period during the winter.
The trade-off can be worthwhile, because you are choosing a safe and rejuvenating time to prune.
This may be the case if you’re pruning overgrown holly bushes that are deciduous.
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Late winter pruning may be preferred to keep the display of holly berries going strong outdoors.
How to Prune Holly
When pruning holly, usebypass pruners, not the anvil style.
see to it theprunersare clean and sharp.
Here are examples of a few types of holly with specific pruning tips.
‘Blue Princess’ Holly
‘Blue Princess’ hollyis a rounded evergreen Meserve hybrid holly.
It is a shrub with red berries and dark-green, prickly leaves.
Once you do attain a desirable shape on this shrub, it is best to prune sparingly.
Tip-prune it to maintain shape wherever possible.
Hetz Holly
Hetz hollyis an evergreen shrub that you may have mistaken for a formalboxwood shrub.
It’s also sometimes called boxwood holly.
It has tiny leaves that are not prickly, nor is it grown primarily for its berries.
Unlike ‘Blue Princess,’ it is very easy to prune.
Depending on your needs and desires, you may not even have to prune it much at all.
Pruning should be minimal unless your bush suffers severe damage from snow and ice buildup.
Inkberry Holly
Inkberry hollyis a no-fuss evergreen holly grown as afoliage plantwith berries as a bonus.
Prune simply to thin, shape, and control its size.
Holly Trees
Holly also comes in tree form.
Examples include American holly,yaupon holly, andNellie Stevens holly, which are all evergreens.
If you do not want your tree to get overly tall, you canprune back the leaderevery winter.
Remove up to a third of the stems each year, targeting the oldest, thickest ones.
In late winter, prune back about 1/3 of the plant’s height and width.
While pruning, make cuts to achieve your desired shape.
Remove any particularly unruly branches.
You should see the plant filling back in within a month or two.
Hollies are long-living plants.
If kept in good condition, holly can live for around 100 years.
North Carolina State University.
