Q.Burning bush rejuvenation
Our bush hasn’t ever been cut back. It’s about 10+ years old. The base of the bush is pretty thick with large stems. Would cutting it down to about 3in from the ground still be ok to do?
Burning bush is very forgiving of severe pruning. Try cutting it down to 12 inches before new leaves emerge. Another strategy is to remove 1/3 of the oldest, widest branches each year. This classic method avoids the jarring eye catcher of a large shrub cut down to a stump. In 3 years you have a shrub of a more compact size. Since it is such a vigorous grower, continuing to remove the largest branches annually rather than clipping the top growth to contain size yields a more attractive shrub with more leaves. It also creates openings for sunlight which is necessary to keep the center from losing its leaves. Older wood is, well, woodier; younger branches have more leaves. The choice is yours.
