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Home , Cercis, Coppicing, Pollarding

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For thousands of years have been coppiced or pollarded for timber and . Today, gardeners use these techniques to promote young stems, restrict size and rejuvenate that respond to hard Author: Tony Dickerson, RHS Members’ Advisory Service. Photography: Tim Sandall

January 2013 | The Garden 51 Coppicing is a pruning technique where a or is cut Pollarding trees to near ground level in early spring It is best to pollard young, rather than earlier, in midwinter, when still fully (before bud break) to encourage mature, trees as they respond more dormant to avoid the risk of bleeding. vigorous young shoots, usually done rapidly to any wounding, reducing the To pollard, use a pruning saw to cut from the second year after planting. risk of decay. Initially the tree is grown branches hard back to two buds, Pollarding is similar, but stems are to the desired height, usually around usually within 5–8cm (2–3in) of the pruned to a higher point on a trunk 90–200cm (3–6ft), with a framework main stem. Ensure all cuts are neat so or ‘leg’. Both techniques allow of three to five branches. they will heal quickly and shed water. After pruning, apply a generous feed gardeners to grow trees and Pollarding is normally carried out in late winter or early spring (late of fertiliser and then mulch to ensure that would be too large left unpruned. January to March) for most , strong summer growth. but acers and mulberry are pollarded There is then a regular cycle of Suitable species pruning every one to three years, with Only a limited number of trees and the new growth pruned just above the shrubs tolerate regular coppicing or previous pollarding cuts (this avoids pollarding. Good disease resistance This catalpa is exposing older prone to decay). is crucial, to allow continual recovery grown in the As the tree matures, new growth Main Borders from the wounds of hard pruning. at RHS Garden may become overcrowded and need Plants also need to be species for Wisley. It is to leave the remaining shoots A trio of pollarded in in June. pollarded each evenly spaced (pictured, right). In which removing stems stimulates year to a low addition, remove any shoots that dormant buds lower down to ‘break’ framework to appear on the main trunk or as – this excludes all but a few conifers, provide large- Before pollarding leaved backing to suckers from the base of the tree. most notably yew (Taxus). in early February. herbaceous plants. Once a tree is pollarded it is Coppicing creates multi-stemmed important to continue the cycle shrubs of new growth, and in the case of pruning as the weight and angle of of some selections of dogwood new branches can lead to weakness, (Cornus) and (Salix) brings particularly where many stems are Dead wood is removed first. exceptional winter stem colour. As crowded together. To open up the with pollarding, coppicing works centre of the , take out one or two older stems to the base each year. Pollarding a Paulownia: wood best with fairly young plants pruned with no new growth is removed Unpruned, Catalpa bignonoides regularly, but it can also be used to and stems are shortened. ‘Aurea’ can reach 12m (40ft) but Pollarded plants can produce rejuvenate over-grown yew, pollarding keeps it compact enough up to 60cm (2ft) across. In February, branches of this catalpa (Fagus) and (Carpinus). for a large border (pictured, left) Stems are shortened at Wisley are cut back to two buds. New growth in June. in early February. (Corylus) coppiced every few and encourages larger leaves. » years produces straight stems useful as supports in the garden, while coppicing produces tw iggy ‘p e a’ sticks. Cutting back hard also makes it easier to protect plants, such as bay, Species that pollard well in areas with harsh winters. Pollarding produces similar effects Lopping back a mature tree to create a pollard is coral-pink young with white stripes. to coppicing, but by encouraging rarely successful. Conifers in general, with the ✤ (tree of heaven) f juvenile shoots of great vigour it can exception of yew (Taxus baccata), should not be pinnate leaves, copes well with poor soils. pollarded as they do not regenerate from old produce larger, more ornamental ✤ Catalpa bignonioides (Indian bean tree) f wood. Some popular garden trees will leaves in species such as Catalpa, leaves up to 45cm (18in) wide if pollarded. respond but many, including birch (Betula) and ✤ (Judas tree) large heart- Cercis and Paulownia. In some ornamental cherries (Prunus), look unattractive f species of , pollarding as pollards. Large street trees such as limes and shaped leaves, purple in ‘ Pansy’. results in attractive rounded, blue- planes are pollarded every two to four years to ✤ Cotinus coggygria (smoke bush) f rounded green, juvenile foliage markedly prevent them outgrowing their allotted space. leaves with good autumn colour. different to the species’ mature foliage. Such work should be done by qualified ✤ Eucalyptus gunnii f rounded, steely blue Most species suitable for coppicing (see RHS Advice p29). To avoid the need to juvenile foliage is retained when pollarded. pollard, choose trees suited to your space. or pollarding on old wood, so ✤ Liriodendron (tulip tree) f distinctive blunt

regular cutting back is at the expense Species that pollard well (f = grown for foliage; leaves, larger when pollarded, gold in autumn. ri c e howard / photos gap strong graham / photos gap of (or catkins) and fruit. s = grown for stems) include: ✤ Morus alba (white mulberry) f toothed leaves Liriodendron (tulip tree) Salix (willow) Eucalyptus ✤ Acer negundo f and s North American of variable shape. Plant used as silkworm food. The variegated tulip tree cultivar L. tulipifera have a range of stem colours: the These large Australian evergreens are More from RHS Online For more, with pinnate, compound leaves. ✤ Salix acutifolia ‘Blue Streak’ s willow with ‘Aureomarginatum’ makes a fine, large-leaved young shoots of var. vitellina pollarded for two reasons: to restrict size and search ‘Pollarding' and 'Coppicing’ at ✤ Acer pensylvanicum ‘Erythrocladum’ s unusual purple bark and vivid white blooms. low pollard in smaller spaces. ‘Britzensis’ are bold, ruddy orange-red. to encourage more attractive juvenile foliage. www.rhs.org.uk »

52 The Garden | January 2013 January 2013 | The Garden 53 Coppicing and pollarding

March pruning of Cutting back Cornus Acer negundo ‘Winter Lightning’. Shrubs suitable for coppicing, such as Cornus sanguinea, can be cut back to 5–10cm (2–4in) if planted in early spring, but if you leave them unpruned in their first season they will establish a good root system. The best colour is on new growth, so shorten stems to strong buds within 5–8cm (2–3in) of the ground the following spring, before buds open. Use sharp secateurs, and loppers for thicker stems. In subsequent years, shorten back to the previous year’s stubs. Over time the bases of plants thicken to form ‘stools’. In time, it may be necessary to cut out congested parts and any crossing or twisted stems to maintain an open structure. Some Cornus cultivars, such as C. sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’ and variegated C. alba ‘Elegantissima’, can be weak growers on poor soils. In this case, coppice every second year or cut out just one third of stems each spring. Depending on the species, new shoots may make 60–240cm (2–8ft) a year (the largest are some of the more vigorous willows). To create height at the back of a border, or for a tiered effect, cut stems back to a predetermined height, 60–120cm (2–4ft) from the ground. Feed well after pruning and apply mulch to conserve moisture.

Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’ coppiced in March. Care for cutting tools p26

Good for coppicing: ✤ Cornus alba ‘Kesselringii’ black-purple stems. ✤ Corylus avellana ‘Aurea’ rounded yellow leaves, and Corylus maxima ‘Purpurea’ rounded purple leaves. ✤ Rhus typhina red stems. ✤ Rubus biflorus and Acer negundo ‘Winter R. thibetanus white stems. Lightning’ once ✤ Salix irrorata lavender stems. pruning is complete.

Making the first cuts Sean Harkin, Horticultural Team Leader at RHS Garden Wisley, manages the winter-stem display on Seven Acres Once the plant has form: there is usually a little line below settled in make the first the bud which helps to mark them out. prune in late February. Remove weak, thin growth back to the Use sharp secateurs stem, leaving pencil-thick wood. Only to create a flat cut one or two stems will remain which roughly 8–15cm (3–6in) may look drastic. Feed, mulch and from the ground ensure the plant has adequate water above a healthy bud or pair of buds to encourage buds to break into strong, (Cornus buds are opposite, Salix healthy growth. In subsequent years a alternate). If no buds have started to framework/stool of short, well-spaced swell, still cut above where they will wood will develop to prune back to.

54 The Garden | January 2013