How to Hard Prune shrubs & plants

Hello, i have a white Viburnum it's looking root bound, can i take it out of its pot cut a lot of the rootball and put it back, will it damage the plant because i have done this because i don't really want to put it into a bigger plant pot, thank you. 🍀.

Hi

Hi

Hi Lee, love your videos! Quick question for you - I have a very old Peiris Japonica which has splitting bark and is quite leggy with lots of grow at the top rather than all over. I would like to hard prune it at the end of May/June. Can I take this right back to the ground or is it advisable to to just take 2/3 of the growth away? Thank you!

Love your videos, informative & easy to follow with clear steps. I have the same tree/bush that gone leggy, I trimmed it hard but was worried I done a mistake, your video was assuring.

Hi Garden Ninja, I inherited a robin red bush that was wildly out of control when I moved in. I cut it back hard to around 3 foot. Into a nice round shape ready for regrowth. It has a trunk which is 5 inches in diameter. I thought it would grow back vigorously, but a month later no signs of new growth? Have I killed it?

Thanks

Hi Lee, Can rhododendrons be hard pruned as I tried it with a huge leggy one id got but it doesnt seem to have sprouted from the old wood?

Many thanks

Hi, we moved into a house. The red robin hedge is looking very sad. There are dead plants and gaps, and some plants have a long branch with no leaves at the bottom, how to start making it a healthy hedge? The plants that have a long branch with no leaves at the bottom, can I cut it short to encourage growth from the bottom? Thank you

Great, am an absolute novice so this really helps, much appreciated :)

Thank you.... You have given me the confidence to hard prune a photonia, (which I thought would be ok, just needed the 👍 ok) they get so woody!

Hi how do i prune a bottlebrush that hasn't been pruned in some time which has acorns along the stem

Thank you. Can you hard prune a Skimmia Japonica into old stems

I dunno how this helps me, the photonias I'm trying to save got snapped in half just below the first branches in Storm Eunice. Everyone's telling me they can be salvaged if I just remove the wounded end and leave it.

Hi there, I planted new photinias, well established ones costing £125 each last April unfortunately they have ‘black leaf’ can you give me some helpful tips on how to treat it. Many thanks

Hi GN. Can you advise how far back I can prune a Hebe that has already flowered but is misshapen and too big. I want to hard prune but not sure if I can cut into bare wood. It's been neglect for a couple of years as I had injuries preventing me from doing it.

Thank you, GN, for your videos which I really enjoy. I have a large, well-established golden cotinus which is something of a feature, but I need to shrink it (height and width) as its crowding out other plants. I have pruned it in the last couple of years, and raised the canopy, but think I was too timid as its almost as big again. The core shape is very pleasing - looks good in winter - and I'm scared to death of messing that up. Could I cut right back to the core 5 stems (good thick ones) i.e. remove the smaller branches (which give the height/width) and all the twiggy material? Cotinus do seem to send long shoots out very easily, hence hesitation as it might just look very silly. Thanks

Hello Garden ninja, thank you for this video, I love your explanations. Can you advise me on the best way to prune a Japanese flowering quince? We’ve just moved into a house (London UK) with a large quince that has been pruned into a rectangular box, but I prefer the free flowing shape. I’ve been informed I should wait until spring to give it a hard rejuvenating prune, but I may need to cut it back now in order to remove a horse-chestnut sapling growing behind it. I’ve seen your rose pruning video, is it a similar process to that? 🌸🌺🌻

Is early june too late to prune oversized plants and Shrubs

Can I hard prune a young shrub also? I planted a red robin hedge last Feb and it has grown up quickly but sparsely and want it to be more bushier overall. The base branches are long and growing out and the top are a foot away from the base bush should I cut it back down to one height? Any advice would be much appreciated

lovely videos matey! :)

Everything you shouldn't DO!
Never deadhead a treelike shrub!

Can I hard prune a Japanese Pieris without killing it?

Could this technique be used on a lavatera shrub that is about 4 years old and not been pruned before?

Many thanks ... good to see how you did this🤗I've just planted a 2 meter photinia tree... should I prune it now? So the energy will go to the roots?

Hi there ninja, great video and thanks for the info. I've only just signed up so will be looking at your other videos too. I have a large bed where a large bush recently died and I have removed it. The bed now looks unbalanced and the lauren bush has become leggy leaning forward. The trunks leading to the leave bits are around 10cm thick. Would it still grow if I cut back to there ? I would love your suggestions thx Jean

I really enjoy your videos. They are so well edited and beautifully presented. Thanks for the time you spend helping so many people in there gardens.

Hey there ninja 🦹🏼 I’ve got some young cherry Laurel bushes that are spindly. Would this method work well to help them bush out and look fuller? Or is it too early? Cheers 🤘🏻

I love my garden and I never stop learning something new.

Hi I'm considering pruning my Pyracantha hedge for first when is best time of year to prune hedge ? I planted in spring at 30cm now over a metre

Hi, can I prune my red robin now early October as it’s still mild?

I have a verigated euonymus japonicus in a pot in the garden and its gotten pretty leggy as its just been left in a corner for ages. When is the best time to hard prune it to encourage regrowth and back budding? I'd like to keep it potted and as small as possible as I'd one day like to bonsai it as its in a really nice clump formation already.

Hi .just found yr Chanel ..Found it very helpful .Lots of great tips,I’ve inherited my mums house and in front garden is a huge beautiful. Magnolia tree, which my late father planted over 25 years ago ,I feel it’s getting too big thou and the bottom branches are too heavy. not sure wot to do as I don’t want to kill it .Would be very grateful for advice or point me in the right direction .Thank you for your time .

Hi, I came across your video in the search of how to cut back some dogwood shrubs. We had some planted in the border of our house by the developer and over the summer we took two of the five and spread them out a bit more. Since doing so three have really spread and are starting to dominate the space they occupy. I think we may relocate one of them but how can I cut them back to a more manageable size and when would be best to do so?

How do I do hard pruning on Manhattan Uronoymous?

Hey, firstly great video!

I recently bought a house where the garden is split in two by a laurel hedge which is massively overgrown...definitely 15 foot wide by 30 foot tall with very think branches.. I would like to prune it width wise... is it possible to bring it back to a more manageable size? And if so, when would you recommend doing this?

Would love to see more closeups of where you're doing the actual cutting and the cutting/pruning itself. For someone who knows very little on pruning it would be a great help.

two years ago I planted two photinia and one of them is top heavy and bending over to the ground. It has two leafless stems with huge balls of leaves at the top like topiaries. Should I stake them up or cut them back to encourage new growth below? Great video btw.

Thank you!

Thank you

Hi GardenNinja.

Can I ask please, I have a cotoneaster that is growing away from the wall of the house(hasn't been cut back in over twenty years). It is end of Jan and it is covered in berries.. Can I copy what you have done on this video please? Also should I cut a 25 foot Holly bush back like this video(it's getting too big). Thank you in advance Natalie x

I really hate pruning, i feel i am cutting something i really like

Hi, could I safely hard prune an old camellia at this time of year? (September, West Yorkshire)

When’s the best time to prune a burning bush? I live in zone 4 in the US. I want to cut them back to about half their size. What’s the best cutting tool to use? A hand held tool won’t do the job. These bushes are old, big and thick and so are the branches. Can I use an angle grinder or maybe a reciprocating saw?

Thank you!

Hi, is now (May) the best time to hard prune my Japonica bush?

Haven't seen a punk since about 1983 nice hair . Good vid btw

I have a Red Weigia Shrub, its at least 20yrs old & it mainly has top growth with straggly twiglets below, I was thinking of taking it down to about a foot off the ground or would this be a bad idea? Jackie x

Thanks for the tips
🇦🇺👍🇦🇺👍🇦🇺

Thank you for explaining so simply and so well!

Really useful video on hard pruning the Red robin. Would you recommend an autumn prune, if so how ‘Ninja’ should we go?! We really need thick growth at the base and around the main trunk, to block out traffic noise and view of the road. Thanks in advance.