Old shrubs. To dig up or not?

[catwomando]

I have a titchy garden so everything has to earn it's space and not take up too much room. Some of my older plants are probably too big for the space, it were planted years ago when the garden was bigger (we now have an extension and a garden room so have lost c 50% of growing space).

I have brilliant soil so shrubs grow really fast and end up trunky very quickly.

I have 2 older shrubs (c 10 years?) which are very trunky at the bottom (I have pruned hard and they sprout non trunky growth but take up loads of space at the bottom).

Is it better to call it a day and replace or can I do something else to revive them?

Your wise advice is appreciated.

They look very woody an not particularly attractive. You could try chopping them right back to see if that revitalises them as a first point of call.

Either prune back harder, with a saw to just above ground level, and let it busy up nicely again, or let them grow and then 'lift the canopy' and see if you like them like that.

I'm a softie and don't like digging out old plants! But as you've got good soil I think I'd try and train a climber around them to brighten up the lower part.

If the alternative is to get rid, you can be as drastic as you like, nothing to lose. Cut them down to a few inches from the ground, using a diagonal cut so the rain runs off. They may bush back. If they don’t you can get rid of them. Ideally you should have done it before spring growth started, but if you don’t want to wait till next winter, do it in the next few days

In future when you prune, instead of just cutting back, take out one or two of the older stems at the base. That way, you’re always working with young growth, and you dont get that look of a thick trunk with some twigs at the end

@MereDintofPandiculation thanks that's helpful.

I used to work full time and kids so often the garden was not looked after properly. Now the kids are bigger and I'm not travelling all the time I can spend more time to to prune properly.

I think that once (if!) my dahlias grow I might replace 1 with a dahlia (not evergreen though...).

My soil is so good that things get out of hand so quickly!

Do you actually enjoy those shrubs? If not take them out. I take out anything that doesn't suit any more.

I used to work full time and kids so often the garden was not looked after properly. Now the kids are bigger and I'm not travelling all the time I can spend more time to to prune properly. Interesting the way the history of your life and in my case MH is written into your garden, isn't it?

@MereDintofPandiculation it is indeed.

Now I'm older I am more patient and it shows. And I have more time to potter. It's lovely

What's your garden story ?

[quote catwomando]@MereDintofPandiculation it is indeed.

Now I'm older I am more patient and it shows. And I have more time to potter. It's lovely

What's your garden story ? [/quote]
My garden story is very boring! The history of my depression shows in my apple trees, but they still give enough fruit to keep us in apples from August to March (and we eat a lot of apples) Then you can see how my focus changed - from mini "collections" of genera that I liked (At least 7 different honeysuckles, 4 different Sorbus etc), through a wildflower period, from growing vegetables, to giving up because the garden became too shaded (all those fruit trees!) to starting veg all over again in pots on a sunny terrace.

I don’t think the older shrubs are earning their space, so I would heave them out. If it’s too difficult to get the roots out then chop them to ground level and put stump killer on with a nice statue/birdbath on top.