I am so happy that “rejuvenation pruning” has become a buzzword. It sounds much better than “butchered”, which is an accurate description of how shrubs can look after such a pruning. I do not use this method often, but there are times when it is the best solution. There are several important things to remember concerning this drastic type of pruning. First, it should NEVER apply to trees. Also, there are some shrubs that do not respond well to having more than a third of the top removed at once. This list includes most boxwoods (Korean can take a heavier pruning than most others), daphne, and conifers (including juniper). Large-leaved hollies are slow to recover from this type of pruning.

The best thing about rejuvenation pruning is that it is easy because the only decisions to make are when and why (and how to get rid of the large pile of debris it creates). For flowering shrubs the “when” is almost always just after flowering so buds for next years flowers are not removed (though sometimes they may still not flower the year after). For evergreens, the best time is now, just before new growth in spring-so that you do not have to look at the unsightly stubs very long. Never do rejuvenation pruning after September since it encourages tender new growth that will be killed by frosts.

There are multiple reasons why one would choose this pruning method. Sometimes a shrub is too large for its space (though the best solution here is often to replace the plant with a smaller-maturing one), a shrub has become leggy at the bottom, or is just gangly overall. Some shrubs grown for colorful stems (red and yellowtwig dogwood) need cutting back to the ground yearly since the colors only show on new stems.

The “how” is usually so very easy. For evergreen hedges, that usually means taking them back as low as you’d like using loppers or handsaw. For deciduous flowering shrubs, this means taking them down all the way to a few inches of the ground. Spirea, forsythia, quince, as well as many other caney shrubs respond well to this though the better way is to remove a third of branches all the way to the ground every year so as to never have canes older than three years (the younger, more vigorous shoots bloom more heavily than old, tired canes-I have seen this type of pruning referred to as “gradual rejuvenation pruning”).

That’s it!