Today we continue to prune 18-20 year old bushes down to mere 14 inch stubs.  It seems like much abuse to plants I have nurtured for 20 years.  The pieces I prune off, I have always called them “knuckles,” where I trim down to every year, look like tea bonsai trees.  I am cutting these beautiful growths and throwing them into the fire piles by the truck load, which seem like such a shame.  I have been cutting bushes down like this for several years and it does make the plant put on a more vigorous growth.