Just pruned ours last week. If you do not want berries then you may prune any time. Now is good as the sap has not yet begun to rise.

Thanks owdboddy how can you tell when the sap is rising when the holly is green all the time mine is a variegated and is still covered in berries will it be OK do you think jane

The sap in your holly will start to rise at about the same time the sap i your deciduous trees does.. probably three weeks or so from now.

Thankyou moongrower we will take a bit off the top and sides to keep it in check jane

We had to cut one of ours back quite seriously as there was a lot of deadwood, it is as tall, or taller, than it was before!

Oh moongrower I must keep a serious eye on it because I am worried that we will get complaints about it because it is at the drive entrance and next to the roadway I would be devastated if I lost it because I set it as a baby shrub

Jane

Just keep it well pruned back from the road or the Council is likely to speak to you about. We have to cut ours back when it decides to hang over the dyke.

We have about 10 different Hollies, all of which are kept well pruned. They are very hard to kill.