The blossoms on the overgrown azaleas in my front yard have now fallen off, and I am ready to prune them back. I just bought this house and I am guessing that it has been 8-10 years since they were last pruned. Some are probably 7 feet tall, and completely block first floor windows.
I looked at the base of some of the plants, and many of the stalks are at least 1 inch in diameter. My question: How do I prune these plants and ensure that I don't kill them? Do I trim them back all the way to the 4-6 main shoots out of the ground? Do I leave those shoots intact, and just trim off the branches from the main shoots?
If I mess this up, my wife will divorce me.