I have an Escallonia hedge which is 6 and a half ft. wide and just under 5
ft. tall. It is quite old, and because of the width of the hedge, I don't
like to prune it back very much in late summer/autumn as to do so would
leave me with loads of bare wood.

Can anyone help me with the following questions?

1.Is it o.k to prune it now as by the end of the Summer it has usually grown
out of control?

2.Can you cut it back very hard in the late summer/autumn after flowering?
Will it recover? Due to my conservative pruning it seems to be getting wider
every year.

Thanks.