Pruning Back Old Shrubs.
Question
Which garden shrubs can I prune back? I have taken over an old garden established some 20 years ago and most of the shrubs are overgrown.
Answer
You will find a good many garden shrubs can be cut right back to within a metre and they will shoot again from the dormant buds that are in the lower stems. A few examples of shrubs that can be cut right back are as follows –
Willow
Lilac
Cotoneaster
Beberis
Escallonia
Ilex
And many of the Rhododendrons and Azaleas, but with these you have to be careful not to cut back into the root stock area below any grafting points. Once the dormant shoots restart make sure they are all from the grafted variety.
The main group of plants that cannot be cut back are the conifers as they do not seem to have any dormant buds in the older stems. The exception to this is the yew (taxus) which is often cut back to restore old hedges and does re-grow from dormant buds.
For advice on plants suitable to cut back drop us an email and we can confirm before you start cutting or sawing.
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