Holly hedge

[lmw]

I have recently moved house and have a 5ft Holly hedge at the bottom of my garden. It has not been regularly pruned and the shoots off the main stem are 2-3ft long. Can I cut these back to the stem to encourage new growth or would that be too drastic? Also, can I prune now?
Any advice would be appreciated.

[skylight]

Yes give it a good pruning now. It will produce new growth come spring. cheers skylight

[lmw]

Thanks for your reply, Skylight.
How close to the main stem should I cut??? There is virtually no growth on the shoots except at the tips.

[skylight]

If it is only a few shoots that have overgrown then I would cut them back to about 6". If it is the whole hedge then I would cut it back by about half. Take about 12" off the height too. Let it put on some growth then you can lightly prune again next year or the year after depending on how much it has grown. Hope this makes sense. cheers skylight

[lmw]

Thanks for your help, Skylight.
It is much appreciated.