Plant taking over my garden. Can someone please advise (with pics)

[Swandrake]

Hello everyone. This shrub is taking over my garden. Whilst I'm glad it is flourishing it is also dominating the space. As you can tell I have no idea about plants and gardening in general. Can someone please advise on how to trim it back? BTW in case you have trouble identifying the plant, it flowers purple in summer. My questions:

1. How do I go about trimming and pruning it-what tools do I need?
2. How do I maintain it going forward?
3. What the heck is this plant?

As you can tell I'm clueless in all matters of the garden, but willing to learn! So all advice however basic please throw my way. Pretend you talking to a 5 year old, I know nothing💐

It looks like a ceanothus to me. You can prune it hard back to green bits, not woody bits, preferably after it's flowered. Use what's to hand.. Secateurs, hedge trimmer whatever. Its pretty hardy and likes being cut back.

I think that’s a ceonthus too.
I have a gorgeous blue one, it needs no care at all really.
I pruned mine into a tree shape

Yes, Ceonothus. A good rule of thumb is: Prune just after flowering, but if it flowers late summer, you can postpone pruning to late winter.

ie that's a rule of thumb for everything, not a specific rule for ceonothus. Useful if you have a garden full of bushes you can't identify.

I have a potted Bay Tree, which has been attacked by ants. They seem to have eaten holes in the middle of the plant, the new roots are forming around the outside of the original root.
Can anyone give some good advice, I have ad many years. Thanks

Sprinkle soil with Ant Stop granules every two days until the ants are dead. Then re pot the bay tree with fresh compost. Can wash and reuse same pot.