Trees, Shrubs and Conifers: How to prune old pussy willow, 1 by ilovedahlias

ilovedahlias wrote:
Hi. This picture shows the bush right now. I had remembered incorrectly--it actually has about 6 large branches at the base, each about 2-3 inches in diameter. My apologies that the picture has a lot of other bushes in it--the pussy willow is in the center and is the tallest bush/tree in the photo. You can see the six or so thick grey stems coming up from the ground.

The light is full sun, though the base does get shaded in the afternoon due to the large rhododendrons behind. If I cut the bush shorter, it will get more afternoon shade due to being shorter than the rhodos. Eventually, though, we will likely be drastically cutting back the rhododendrons as well, but not for a couple of years.