In article ,
Rod wrote:

I cut them back to 3' in the autumn, but they have suffered badly.
They aren't dead, but most of the live shoots are near the top.
My concern is that, if I cut them back into very old wood, they
may not survive it. If I don't cut them back hard, they will
get out of hand. Any comments?

Leave it alone for now - It won't get out of hand this year, but
in any case it won't be too late to prune it when you see where the
new growth comes from and you'll be able to prune out any damage.

Thanks. My concern is that it will shoot from the top, which will
make the problem worse for next year. I had to get rid of one
after a few years of that, which is why I have been pruning hard.

I assume we're talking about the 'davidii'' group that flower on
current years growth rather than things like B.alternifolia that
flower on the previous years growth.

Yup.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.