Desirable spruce hollowed with axes (4)
I believe the answer is:
sexy
'desirable' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'spruce hollowed with axes' is the wordplay.
'hollowed' suggests removing the centre.
'with' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'axes' becomes 'xy' (x axis and y axis).
'spruce' with its centre removed is 'se'.
'se'+'xy'='SEXY'
(Other definitions for sexy that I've seen before include "Alluring" , "Very appealing" , "Attractive (sl.)" , "Seductive" , "Provocative" .)