Q: My hollies have lots of red berries on them this year, but they’re covering part of my windows so I want to prune them. Is it OK to prune them in the winter?
A: December is usually considered a good time of year to prune hollies in the greater St. Louis area, as it tends to be less stressful for these plants.
It is best if you only remove up to one third of the overall leafy growth of the plants when pruning. The fact that your plants have fruit on them currently is not an issue. In fact, you can reuse the boughs you trim off in floral displays both indoors and out. Note however, that trimmed holly greens are sensitive to temperatures below freezing, and when exposed to sub-freezing temperatures, leaves can turn brown.
You can find more information about caring for hollies here: extension.illinois.edu/news-releases/growing-holly.
Write to the Missouri Botanical Garden’s Center for Home Gardening at plantinformation@mobot.org or the Horticulture Answer Service, 4344 Shaw Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63110.
