…when they are full grown…

Holly (Ilex aquifolium) can grow to a height in excess of 10 m. Left to its own devices, it has a straight trunk and a wide, branched, pyramidal crown but it is often trimmed, cropped and coppiced. It grows slowly and can live for 500 years.

Ivy (Hedera helix) can climb upwards over almost any substrate for 25 metres. Like holly, it can live for over 500 years if it is not cut back – but we rarely leave it to do so. An old ivy can have a trunk more than a metre in diameter.

The reserve’s holly trees and ivy plants have not yet reached such dramatic heights but here’s hoping!