Coppicing
Discover how to coppice trees to attractive effect, in this simple guide.
Coppicing is a pruning techniques that can be used on various trees to create attractive effects, from colourful young stems to large, bold foliage. This pruning technique is simple to master and can make a real difference to your garden.
Coppicing is a traditional woodland craft used to produce strong young stems for fencing, fuel or building. It involves cutting multiple stems down to the ground. This encourages the plant to send up vigorous new shoots.
Here are some plants to try the technique on.
Coppicing is a pruning technique that can be used on various trees to create attractive effects.
Coppicing
Coppicing can produce a show of coloured stems on willow or dogwood. It can also keep certain large trees, such as paulownia, catalpa and Ailanthus altissima, more like shrubs, but with giant leaves that give a bold, jungly effect. Using a saw, cut down all branches to ground level.
Try it on: hazel, Cornus alba and Cornus sanguinea, paulownia, catalpa, Ailanthus altissima, Judas tree (Cercis canadensis 'Forest Pansy'), hornbeam trees, cotinus, beech and Eucalyptus gunnii
When to coppice and pollard
The best time to coppice and pollard is late winter or early spring.
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