pruning holly shrubs

Question

How far back can you prune a holly? I have several holly shrub around a house I just bought. The Holly are about 10 feet tall and even bigger around. I would like to trim them back, but don’t know how far I can go without killing them. And when should I do this. Any help would be nice. Thank you

Answer 1

While most pruning is done in December, you can still prune now but it may affect the number of berries produced this year. Hollies, as with most shrubs, can be pruned back by a third of their growth. Any more than that will likely harm the plants. This article should help: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/holly/trimming-holly-bushes-how-to-prune-holly-bushes.htm