Q.cutting back shrubs
When is the best time to cut all of my very large shrubs back all the way low to the ground? They are much too large. I have been living here 19 years and they have never been cut all the way back or down low.

Certified GKH Gardening Expert
It really depends on the type of shrub, but a pruning in spring for non flowering shrubs is normally ok. Most shrubs will not tolerate being cut back by more than 1/3. There are only very specific shrubs that respond to rejuvenation pruning like you are talking about. If you let me know what kind of shrubs they are, I can tell you if you can do rejuvenation pruning on them.