A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Plants and Flowers Forum Shrubs and Trees Pruning Bushes

I have a "hedge" along the South side of my house. There are alternating red stick dogwood bushes, and regular (I think) dogwoods. Last fall I cut them back, but since I don't know what I'm doing, I'm not sure it worked out. How far back can I cut them? They were very leggy, and I want them to get new growth from the ground, not from the ends of the branches. Is it too late this year?

Oh, and here are some pics, I think...
http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnails...721_46080721/fromupload=true/t_=46080721

OK, here's the real picture...

The shrubs can be cut back to within three buds of the ground. Some of the previoulsy cutback branches have dieback at the tips. When pruning a stem with leaves prune back to just above an outside leaf or just above a set of leaves. When you prune back to the ground if there would be no leaves left then prune back to just above an outward facing bud (a bump felt on the stem when you run a finger along it. Doing so allows the stem to grow out and up instead of into the middle.

The shrubs are in such dense shade they may never be full and bushy or thrive. Feed them as soon as leaves appear with a granular organic fertilizer. Keep them short, watered and fed this year. What you have at the end of the season may the best these bushes can do in dense shade.