In short
Most deciduous shrubs, such as spiraea, philadelphus, dogwood, forsythia and hazel, will come back from being cut to 10 to 20cm above the ground between November and March, so an overgrown but healthy one is worth renovating. Conifers other than yew will not regrow from old wood, and a weak or sickly shrub of any kind is better replaced.
This is a job for my Bush removal service.
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The short test
Three questions decide it on most of the jobs I see. Is the shrub healthy? Is it a type that regrows from old wood? And do you actually want it there? If the answer to all three is yes, cut it back hard. If any is no, take it out.
Which shrubs take a hard cut
The RHS says most deciduous shrubs respond well to drastic renovation, listing berberis, spiraea, deutzia, cornus (dogwood), flowering currant, fuchsia, hazel, philadelphus, cotinus and willow among them. The method is to cut all the stems to 10 to 20cm from the ground, or to low branches 20 to 45cm up, between November and March while the plant is dormant. Evergreens are done in spring after flowering.
Some shrubs need a gentler approach: the RHS names Japanese maple, witch hazel and magnolia as ones not to hack back. For those, or where you would rather not lose the plant for a season, the staged option is to remove up to half the old stems in the first year and the rest the next.
Which ones do not
- Conifers. The RHS is blunt: apart from yew, conifers do not re-shoot from old wood. A leylandii or cypress cut back into brown wood stays brown. If an overgrown conifer has to be smaller than a one-third height reduction allows, removal is the honest answer.
- Weak or sickly plants. The RHS advice is that these are best replaced. A hard cut is a shock, and a plant that is already struggling with disease, waterlogging or old age often does not come through it.
- Anything in the wrong place. A shrub blocking a window, lifting a path or shading the only sunny bed will do the same again in five years. Renovation buys time; it does not change the plant.
Renovate or remove: side by side
| Cut back hard | Remove | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Healthy deciduous shrubs you like, in the right spot | Conifers, sickly plants, wrong place, or you want the space |
| Timing | November to March (deciduous), spring after flowering (evergreen) | Autumn or winter, outside the nesting season |
| What you see next summer | A stubby framework, then strong new shoots; flowering may skip a year | Level ground ready to replant, turf or gravel |
| Aftercare | Mulch, water in a dry spell, thin the new shoots the following winter | None, unless you replant |
What I do on the day
On a renovation I cut low and clean, take out dead and crossing wood, mulch round the base and take the waste away. On a removal I take the top down, dig the rootball out where practical, level the ground and clear everything. Either way you get a straight opinion first: I would rather tell you a shrub is worth keeping than sell you a removal, and I would rather tell you a conifer is finished than cut it back and leave you with a brown hedge.
One tip from the RHS worth passing on: if a shrub has sentimental value, take cuttings before the hard prune, in case it does not come back.