You can keep an Indian hawthorn small with little to no effort at all. In fact, many varieties, including the Pinkie Indian hawthorn shrub, will remain small, at 3 feet or less, without pruning or sheering. However, you can keep your shrubs even smaller if you wish. The best way to do that is to use hand pruners to remove branches selectively rather than shearing off the outer edges of the plant, which often damages the foliage.