"Curtis" wrote in message
s.com...
I planted red tipped photinias around the perimeter of my back yard 20
years ago as a privacy screen. They have done well and are very bushy
from chest high and higher but the bottom 3-4 feet of each plant is
bare trunks now and no longer provide much privacy. I'm considering
sawing one of the trunks of each plant a few inches above the ground.
Will new branches sprout and bush out?

Probably. However, I did that about three years ago for the same reasons,
and three of the six have never recovered. They have yellowed leaves and
look burnt. I understand there's a virus that attacks red tips (which are
not native, despite their proliferation here).
The sick ones are just now putting out new growth. If the new leaves
wither, I'll be digging them out.