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Although a very beautiful native species, holly can sometimes get ahead of itself and start to crowd-out the struggling ground flora. Thinning is an essential but prickly winter activity.

One characteristic of young holly is its habit of growing clean straight stems – perfect for stick making. it’s a strong dense wood and, when cleaned of its bark, has that distinctive off-white and grain-free surface. Perfect for Sunday best hiking sticks!

They’ll take a year or so to season (holly is notoriously prone to shaking and cracking if dried too quickly) but with a bit of patience, I’ll have a hundred or so, to straighten up and finish off next year.

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