This coppiced trees and shrubs in your garden blog explains what coppicing is and how to do it. The main focus is on how coppicing can be used for decorative purposes, but we do have a look at some of the practical applications for coppicing on your allotment and in your garden.
Although it may initially sound technical and difficult, it is actually a really simple way to get more pleasure and productivity from your garden and allotment. It’s a form of recycling too, as we shall see.
And importantly, you can practise this ancient art whatever the size of your garden. But of course, you may want to read for pure interest just to find out about what coppicing is. There are related articles in Plews Potting Shed, the links for which are at the end, should you wish to explore some more.
But firstly, the explanation…
What is Coppicing?
You may have heard the terms coppicing and pollarding and wondered what, if any difference there is between them. Well, whilst they are both pruning methods, the primary aim is not merely to reduce the height or remove dead wood.
When a tree or shrub is coppiced, the cuts are made near the base of the main trunk. However, cutting as far up as knee height may be the measure for decorative purposes. For purely productive reasons, the cuts are as low as possible. The overall aim is to create many new, thinner shoots from the base.
Example of coppicing
Whereas when a tree or shrub is pollarded, the cut is made roughly from shoulder height and upwards. Pollarding is when trees are cut to the main stem or trunk, ultimately controlling the height of the main stem itself, which is retained, unlike when the plant is coppiced.
Deciduous trees and shrubs are coppiced and pollarded. Generally speaking, conifers do not re-shoot when hard pruned so are not suitable for this technique.
Example of pollarding
But why would you want coppiced trees and shrubs in your garden?
The simple answer is because it offers you so much scope when designing a planting scheme and creating productive areas. For example, coppicing is a system which would work well in your garden as part of: –
- an ornamental planting scheme
- a winter garden or winter border
- the restoration of mature shrubs
- forest gardening
- creating a wildlife friendly habitat
- a grow your own garden
- a managed woodland or small woodland area
- a boundary alternative to hedging or fences
Whether yours is a large country garden or a small town garden, coppiced trees and shrubs can add to your enjoyment. Growing coppiced plants enables smaller gardens to experience many of the benefits that trees bring. And even courtyard gardens can join in, as it is possible to grow coppiced trees and shrubs in large pots and raised beds.
Before we get onto the list of trees and shrubs for coppicing, let’s take one item from the above list and come up with just one of many possible planting ideas.
A Planting Idea for a Winter Border
From the above list, a winter border could be a separate area, even a designated winter garden, or it could be winter interest planting which is included as part of the overall garden design.
We start with our coppiced shrubs, which are the Cornus species, commonly known as dogwood. Then we have two options, depending on the size of the border and your existing garden structures.
Firstly, there is a dark green, neatly clipped Yew hedge. In front of this we plant groups of brightly coloured Cornus. Red and orange stemmed varieties look effective, and are a popular choice. But you could try a more minimalist approach by using lime green stemmed dogwood.
You don’t have room for a clipped Yew hedge? Cornus will look equally effective placed against a brick wall or fence. Remember to choose colours which will contrast with the backdrop. For example, yellow and lime green stemmed Cornus in front of a terracotta brick wall.
And to both of these, you could add Hellebores and Snowdrops in front for a further layer of interest. Helleborus niger and cultivars of are the ones which flower from late November through to March.
Coppiced Trees and Shrubs in Your Garden – which Species?
There are quite a few – you may be surprised! Some are native species and some are introduced non-natives. Although we’re discussing coppicing here, many of these trees and shrubs are also suited to pollarding. Some are suitable for decorative purposes, such as encouraging large, showy leaves on the Catalpa. Others have a more practical appeal. Eucalyptus is one of the few evergreens that are coppiced.
- Ash, Fraxinus excelsior
- Beech, Fagus sylvatica
- Birch, Betula
- Dogwood, Cornus sanguinea
- Hazel, Corylus avellana
- Hornbeam, Carpinus betulus
- Lime, Tilia cordata
- Oak, Quercus
- Willow, Salix
Naturalised and introduced non-native species
- Catalpa bignoides
- Dogwood, Cornus species
- Eucalyptus species
- Paulownia tomentosa
- Sweet chestnut, Castanea sativa
- Sycamore, Acer pseudoplatanus
Coppiced trees and shrubs in your garden and on your allotment
If practicality and a productivity are important, then coppiced trees and shrubs should be integral to the garden design. And planning to have space on your allotment for at least three hazel is a good idea. Coppicing will provide you with cut wood, and depending on the tree or shrub, which give you: –
- supports for tall herbaceous perennials and flowering bulbs like dahlias,
- a framework for runner beans, peas and other climbing vegetables in the kitchen garden,
- semi-woven hoops to protect young plants from rabbits and light frost
- juvenile foliage for flower arranging,
- timber for garden fencing and trellis,
- nuts for eating,
- wind shelter for tender plants,
- bee forage – you need pollinating insects,
- firewood, kindling especially, but also log sized
Coppiced Trees and Shrubs in Your Garden – inheriting, restoring, buying
Inheriting a garden full of mature shrubs can be a mixed blessing. First establish what is healthy enough or in the right place for you to keep. Devise a plan for managing the changes. For example, unwanted and sick shrubs will need to be removed, but you need to know what’s going in their place. Other shrubs that you’re keeping will probably need restorative pruning, which may include coppicing. Remember that not all shrubs can be successfully hard pruned or coppiced and even those which can may take a few years to fully recover.
If you’re planning to buy new shrubs and trees for coppicing, it can be more cost effective to purchase bare-root plants. These are available to buy over the winter months. However, you must allow shrubs and trees to grow a strong root system before beginning to coppice them.
When buying container grown plants for coppicing, you may find a specimen which has already been started for you. for example, Cornus is often found as a semi-coppiced container grown plant. Trees such as birch and Eucalyptus are available to buy as coppiced specimens, but they’re not cheap, as large trees take some years to develop the stool.
Maintaining Coppiced Trees and Shrubs in Your Garden
Once established, coppiced shrubs are easy maintenance plants. An annual pruning is the main task, which is easily accomplished with the tools most gardeners have. You’ll need secateurs, loppers, perhaps a pruning saw for clean cuts on larger stems.
Now, coppiced woodland is managed according to the use the wood and timber is going to be put to. But in your garden you have a different approach, as the decorative element may be more, or as important as, the practical.
And when you prune depends on why you’re creating a coppiced shrub. For decorative winter stems such as dogwood and willow, you would prune in late March.
There are variations in exactly when coppicing happens depending on the individual garden, the desired effect, etc. But this is my most frequently used method for smaller domestic gardens where the border is on show year round.
Cut to 5-8cm from the ground, just above a bud, but leaving not more than three buds per shoot. This creates the coppice stool from which the new shoots will grow. By leaving 1-3 buds per stem, we can be sure that the new growth will give us colourful shoots by the following winter.
Take out about a third to a half of the stems throughout the plant. This allows the remaining shoots to produce leaf and flower, possibly with interesting foliage, or to provide food for pollinating insects. The stems removed will be the older ones. In the following March you would repeat the process by removing the ‘new’ oldest shoots. You will then have a shrub which has colourful stems, none more than three years old.
And yes, even these cut Cornus stems can provide you with material to make small hoops to protect young plants from rabbits, cats and footballs.
And finally
Hopefully this brief look at coppiced trees and shrubs in your garden has given you some ideas for growing some for yourself. There is a lot more to explore on this topic and I will return to it in later blogs, looking at both design ideas for ornamental gardens and as a useful resource in productive gardens. Not that those two types of garden can’t be one and the same thing of course!
There are some blogs below on related subjects for you to peruse. And if you’d like personal help with coppicing and designing in your own garden, do get in touch.
Or why not ask about our bespoke Gardening Lessons, where your classroom is actually your own garden? We can help with both gardening basics and more ‘expert tasks’, carry out worm and other experiments and for example, also show you how to plan a vegetable plot. Have a read through this pdf download for info. And if you prefer company, there are small group Gardening Workshops to come to.
For further gardening advice and inspiration, check out Plews Potting Shed blogs, including the selection below Plus we have a monthly Tipsheet You could come and find us on Instagram Pinterest and Facebook too.
Feeling nosey? You can have a peek at the progress of my garden renovation, Spitfires and Slow Worms, on Instagram and Facebook
You’ll get to see it in person if you come to the Plews Gardening Workshops Although later dates and topics still need to be finalised, there are already a few up on Eventbrite for you to book into. Follow for updates on topics and dates on Instagram, Eventbrite, Facebook
Related Gardening articles you may enjoy from our Award Winning Blog
Bark and Stems for Winter Gardens
Cornus – Dogwood – Colourful Winter Stems
How to Choose a Tree for Your Garden
Creating Small Wildlife Habitats in Your Garden
Could You Grow Your Own Broom?
How to Prune Correctly – Things You Need to Know
