Pruning Holly - Ask Extension
I have two Holly bushes (see photos) outside a screened in porch that need pruning. Due to rain and illness they did not get pruned in the early sprin...
Knowledgebase
Pruning Holly #793061
Asked May 28, 2022, 10:47 AM EDT
I have two Holly bushes (see photos) outside a screened in porch that need pruning. Due to rain and illness they did not get pruned in the early spring. Is it too late to prune now? I do not know what type of holly they are but I do know they are over 30 years old. Thank you
Baltimore County Maryland
Expert Response
Hello; Thanks for submitting your garden and landscape questions to University of Maryland Ask Extension.
Your hollies appear to be Burford hollies (Ilex cornuta Burfordii). Light shearing, taking off one to two inches of foliage, can be done now though they may just be flowering to produce red berries for the winter. Shearing may remove many of those flowers and subsequently the berries.
If you want to hard prune your hollies it should be done in late winter or early spring before the start of new growth. See UMd Extension website publication https://extension.umd.edu/resource/pruning-tree-and-shrub-basics for more information on pruning shrubs including your hollies.
Good luck in your gardening and landscaping efforts. Thanks; Christopher
Your hollies appear to be Burford hollies (Ilex cornuta Burfordii). Light shearing, taking off one to two inches of foliage, can be done now though they may just be flowering to produce red berries for the winter. Shearing may remove many of those flowers and subsequently the berries.
If you want to hard prune your hollies it should be done in late winter or early spring before the start of new growth. See UMd Extension website publication https://extension.umd.edu/resource/pruning-tree-and-shrub-basics for more information on pruning shrubs including your hollies.
Good luck in your gardening and landscaping efforts. Thanks; Christopher
