Me Silk-tassel bush could do with a good pruning,is this a good time of year to do it ???,and how hard could i cut it back ???, its about 9-10ft tall and about 6ft wide and looking a bit on the scraggy(it only had tassels on top this year) side and looking see through at it's base, would it mind if i took at back to about 2-3ft ???.
Garrya elliptica will do ok with a hard prune now. Be aware though, that some stems may make very strong growth after pruning right now.
You may need to have another short snip to stems that are showing in, say, mid to late April (depending on the warmth of the weather) if you want a shorter stockier bush.
If you leave it too late, you won't get tassells next year. Best thing is to give it a light prune every year, after flowering is over, maybe mid to late May, to keep in it shape (once it's got to the shape you want which could take 3 to 4 years after cutting back hard).
Thanks Jennym today the day then.