Would you recommend pruning these?...

[BooseysMom]

A hebe and a honeysuckle which have been left like this since last year. Due to the mild winter they haven't suffered much even with all the rain. So do you think i need to give them a good prune before the growing season really gets going?
Thanks x

Prune the hebe now. Just neaten it up.

The honeysuckle will depend on whether it’s early or late flowering. It looks a bit sparse so I’m not sure I would do much. If late flowering prune now. If early flowering, prune after flowering.

@BubblesBuddy.. that's great thank you. I think the honeysuckle is an early flowerer.

Leave it to flower and then reshape. It’s obviously a young plant so don’t go mad!

@BubblesBuddy.. thanks for the advice. I've always been a reluctant pruner!

The main things to remember about pruning is time of year and maintaining shape. Some plants would hate autumn pruning and wouldn’t want frost getting into cut stems. Other shrubs would be happy to be pruned in the autumn.

Regarding shape, the most obvious stems to cut back are inward growing ones that would end up crossing other stems which would be ugly. You want to look at the overall shape and ensure it looks “right. This could be tightly clipped like box or a loose look of waving stems. Most shrubs benefit from sensible pruning and some like quite a severe cull!

I think you can always look up the cultivar you have and get advice. RHS has on line advice which could help.

www.gardenfocused.co.uk/shrub/hebe.php

"If the annual pruning is neglected, most hebes will eventually become bare at the base with all the foliage at the top of the plant.

•	March is a good time to prune a hebe because new buds will be visible.

•	Never prune back into old dead wood, always prune back so that at least a couple of buds are still present on each stem.

•	With shorter and more compact varieties only prune to maintain a good shape. Removing the top 5cm / 2ins is about right.

@Sihaya.. thank you for the advice and link. I'd better get pruning the hebe before it's too late!