Called renewal pruning, this method allows each shrub to retain its natural shape, ideal size, and good health. When shrubs have been neglected for a long time, though, some kinds respond well to drastic pruning. If you cut the stems of an old lilac to about a foot from the ground in late winter, for example, you'll be rewarded with a rejuvenated plant in a couple of years. In the meantime, expect to sacrifice all flowers the first spring and settle for a reduced flower show the next year or two. You can also rejuvenate overgrown barberries and privets with drastic pruning without harming either kind.
Brighter color is the reason many gardeners prune smokebush to the ground in late winter.
You can also use late-winter pruning to help shrubs stay healthy. Control damage to honeysuckles caused by Russian aphids by cutting and destroying any distorted shoots you find. Then try azaleas or summersweet, two well-behaved shrubs that rarely require trimming. All rights reserved. Material from this site may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed.