With time many plants gradually become larger and regular maintenance pruning just won’t cut it. Then it’s time for renovation pruning. Over the years we have learned that regular ornamental pruning is not adequate for many plants. By ornamental pruning we mean the making of small cuts to shape and direct plant growth. Whereas this type of pruning is almost always crucial for beautiful plants, it falls short in one significant way. The plant continues to get bigger! For most plants this is just inevitable.
So what to do then? Usually the best answer is something called renovation pruning. Here the pruner focuses on bigger cuts that will restructure the main branch pattern of the plant. Both skill and understanding of plant growth characteristics are needed. This is NOT just a matter of chopping off the offending parts and mutilating the plant. Rather, the pruner works from the inside out to restore the natural shape of the plant.
At the end of the process the plant might look good or it might look bad. In the latter case such radical cuts were necessary that the plant becomes temporarily disfigured. Here the knowledge of the worker becomes paramount. He is looking at how the plant will respond to the cuts and where it will put out new growth. A year or two later the results become apparent. Often however, the owner is overjoyed because the immediate results are such an improvement over the prior overgrown condition.