Time of year to lay a holly

[AHPP]

Want to close a gap with a holly tree. Lay a few stems, leave a few stems sort of thing. Any time of year particularly good/bad?

[organic guy]

Consensus would be you only lay when dormant, if it is brittle in the spring when the sap is starting to rise.

Against that I read on here that pruning is best to take place close to or during growing season to give maximum healing time before disease spores about, so I've talked myself into early spring!

[JPaint]

Ive been told you never lay it with a month with an R in. Any frost after fresh pleaching cuts can kill it. 

[AHPP]

Now’s the time then. I reckon the frosts are over. 

[openspaceman]

On 17/06/2024 at 17:23, organic guy said:

Consensus would be you only lay when dormant, if it is brittle in the spring when the sap is starting to rise.

Against that I read on here that pruning is best to take place close to or during growing season to give maximum healing time before disease spores about, so I've talked myself into early spring!

My take on it:

 

I think growth is in full swing and a bit earlier than usual and would now wait till September but I aam no hedgelayer.

[green heart]

We've layed hedges for a couple of decades and I'd only lay them between October and March, due to brittle stems and nesting birds.

That said, it's -sometimes- possible to get some reasonable results with smaller, supple, shaded pleachers, if it's essential and you are very careful.

If you're unfamiliar with hedge laying however, then just wait until October! 

[AHPP]

Is holly different, being evergreen? It can wait btw. 

[green heart]

Holly lays very well -but in the winter months .

I've never layed any in summer, but if I absolutely HAD to lay it in summer, then I'd be pulling off most of the leaves to reduce transpiration losses? 

This would be an expensive, prickly time-consuming job -hence leaving it till autumn..

[openspaceman]

9 hours ago, AHPP said:

Is holly different, being evergreen? It can wait btw. 

Imagine you want to strip the bark off a tree cleanly, when would you do it? this is when you would avoid  laying it as you need the bark-phloem-wood interface to remain intact.

[AHPP]

Not a clue. I don't know much about the natural world.