Iu2019m about to hard-prune the azaleas in the small back yard. If I donu2019t, they will be butchered by the siding contractors coming this summer. These plants are at least 20 years old, and have been u201cprunedu201d into neat little buns for years before I came here.Pruning flowering shrubs should be done immediately after they finish flowering. That gives them enough time to regrow and to set flower buds for next year. Delaying this chore a month or two, when flower buds are forming, will result in sparse flowering next spring. Also, pruning after mid summer, in the north, could stimulate new foliage that wonu2019t have enough time to mature before frosty weather damages it.Plants can defoliate because of lacebugs, which love to feed on azaleas getting direct sunlight. They cause light-colored stippling on the leaves, and they often drop off later in the season. An azalea in the front, where it gets hot sun up to 2:00 in the afternoon, went from green to pale in almost no time (photo, above). Lots of lacebugs this year! For that one, I will spray with a small amount of systemic insecticide, and then cut it back once the insects are dead. The chemical has a residual effect, and will protect new foliage emerging for the next several weeks. So, check to see if part of the problem is insects.Older azaleas, especially if they have been repeatedly sheared, develop a thick u201cshellu201d of leaves, which shades growth closer to the ground. If it is shady enough, the plant canu2019t hold onto those leaves. After they bloom, cut the longest stems as close to the ground as possible. Simply reach into the plant with a good pair of pruners or a pruning saw. If you do this every year or two, the canopy will be more open, allowing light to pass through to the lower branches. The remaining stumps will send out side branches from the buds that lie dormant under the bark.The bolder approach would be to renovate the plants by cutting all the stems back to 6u2033 or 10u2033. This should not be done if the health of the root system has been compromised by poor drainage, improper pH, or severely compacted soil. Youu2019d want to correct those problems first. Photo, above, shows plenty of growth (lower right corner) at the base of the azalea, so I will remove all the stems above it.If you havenu2019t fertilized yet, do that now. Use a product formulated for acid-loving azaleas. A synthetic soluble fertilizer will go to work sooner than an organic product, such as Holly-tone. But, once you get on a schedule, Holly-tone is a great product.It sounds as though you have enough light for the azaleas, but opening up the tight canopy by selectively pruning, getting more light to the base, should help.