Even the best shrubs can lose their luster after years of growth. Sometimes they overgrow their space or start to look gangly. Sometimes bad pruning practices are the culprit. What do you do with it? Rip it out by the roots and plant a small, fledgling shrub in its place? Pay more money to put in a more mature shrub so that the size difference is not as great? Don't give up on the shrub yet. Rejuvenate it!
Rejuvenation pruning is an excellent way to restore a shrub to its former glory. It will not happen overnight, but can work wonders to provide airflow and sunlight to the inner branches of a shrub. The tools needed will be a pair of hand pruners or bypass loppers. Going below the shrub growth, cut into the branch at a 45 degree angle. Be sure to make pruning cuts nice and clean. Hand pruners work best because with gas or electric shears, too many branch cuts will occur and all the new growth will be to the top of the plant, leaving the bottom half bare and sticky looking. Your goal is to get rid of any broken or diseased branches, get rid of any laterals or branches that cross the center line of the shrub, and remove any suckers or sprouts from the main trunk.
Cutting it back to the size you want and giving the air room to circulate may require that you cut off a significant portion of the foliage. That is OK. Generally this won't hurt the health of the shrub. However this type of pruning will require a bit of patience. The shrub will look very bare until new leaves flush out. It may take several growing seasons before this happens. As the new leaves come in, it can work wonders to give new life to an old shrub.
Thanks,
The AA Tex Lawn Team
