I have an informal hedge row of the old fashioned flowering quince bushes.
It is now about 18 feet wide and 50 feet long. It's quite tall (maybe 12
feet) and suckers madly. I've never pruned it except many years ago when an
exceptionally hard winter and dry summer caused it to die back drastically.
I cut it off to about 12 inches above the ground and it flourished - maybe
flourished too much.

So, what to do now? The forsythia bushes to the east of it have never bloom
very well, in part because the quince and the staghorn sumac shade it. The
quince bushes have already flowered but have been set back because of the
late freeze. I'm considering cutting the whole row of quinces back to about
12 inches and spend the rest of the summer trying to keep the outlying
suckers cut back. I just can't imagine how I could ever get the bushes
pruned by just cutting out a few at a time. It really looks like a job for
a chainsaw. I realize I'll probably have few blooms next spring but I hope
the extra sun will give the forsythia bushes a boost and help them bloom
better, at least for the next few years.

So, what do you think? Good plan or will I be sorry? I just finished
reading madgardner's vent about the cut off forsythia and fear I may be
committing essentially the same crime except it will be quince bushes
instead. I really like the quince bushes and short of like the wild
overgrown look but fear it's getting overdone. Any advice or comments would
be appreciated.