It is their genetics. They will "try" to grow as big as they can no matter how far back you chop them. After they bloom you can cut them back several inches again and see how that works next year.

Take a step back and see if you could remove every other one, though offhand, it seems the space between them would be awfully large. Thinking out loud here.....If you did remove every other, could something else be planted inbetween that would

still provide the continuity of the 'hedge'? Identical hostas with leaves a similar green ? (after bloom green leaved spireas are blobs of green anyway) (Variegated would be too spotty) If there is room in front you could plant hostas in front and inbetween (in newly acquired space) ad the spireas would be punctuation marks among the hostas .... nless it is full sun then the hosta idea becomes more complicated.

Or.....thinking that 25 year old spireas have given you their all....you just might...might...consider removing them. There are smaller spireas and there are many other smaller shrubs to use....smaller fothergillas for instance that have 3 season interest:flowers,leaf color, gorgeous in fall, interesting branching and MINIMAL pruning.

This annual hair cut thing is why I got rid of my spirea shirobani. It was a pita every spring. How long does it take to prune back 7 big spireas every year.? If they are 25 years old and you planted them you've been doing this for 25 years and are only starting to get fed up? You have way more patience than I do!

you can probably cut them to 3 inches.. and in a few years.. they will be back to the same size.. with no insult to the root mass ... i doubt you can kill the things ...

if that is confirmed ... you have two options:

1 ==>>>remove every other one ...

2==>> cut every other one down very low ... and then in a year or two .... cut the others down ...

we all made this mistake.. back in time.... and marie is right.. this is why we ended up getting rid of the mistakes made.. back in time ...

if i gave you a list of the nightmares i got rid of over the years... your hair would turn white ... lol

one last thought .... if its simply not within your physical capabilities to do the heavy labor.. pay someone to get rid of them.. and plant something carefree for the future... and site them properly ... [you did say you have been with them 25 years ....and unless you planted them when you were 5... you have to be over 30 years old.. lol ..]

good luck .. do not fear change ....

ken

in regard your title ..... your base problems in that your plants need a heavy PRUNING ... not the haircut/trimming you been giving it ...

words mean things.. and help clarify what need be done ...

ken

Thanks for all the advice. I always prune them with electric hedge clippers. Does a fast job but lots of mess to clean up. I will try a severe pruning and see what happens next summer. They are in direct sun all day so would need to replace them with something that could take lots of heat in summer and withstand our snowy winters without breaking down under heavy snow load. It is the last original bed I have and it is definitely due for an update. Since I am over 30 (68 to be exact) I am looking for something a little less labor intensive to replace them. Marie (above) suggested fothergilla. Would that work for my location or can anyone suggest something else. Area between walkway to front door and house so nothing over 3 ft tall

i dont know if it will work in your area.. because i dont recall you telling us where you are ...

how about a pic of the area ...

i note.. you have been using the electric shears .... to do a fast job ... and that is why you now have a non-fast job ...

lets still see what others say about severe cut back ... of course.. you can just go for it ... and if it fails.. then you have a reason to get rid of them .. lol ...

ken

We are in zone 4b in southern Ontario. all the snow in the area seems to fall on our front yard. We regularly have 4 feet over these plants much of the winter. I always trim them back so they won't break down under the weight of the snow. Not sure what you mean Ken. Should I not be using hedge trimmer. It's the only way these shrubs have lasted so long. If I had to do it all by hand they would have been gone years ago!

I'm nearly 66 and I got rid of the shirobai at about 8 years ago and snow-something about 12-15 years ago. You really do have more patience (and probably stamina) than I. You deserve a present. Hire someone to dig up and replace.

My husband can dig them out. He has a backhoe and other heavy equipment. My problem is I can never decide what to replace them with so I just leave them alone.

then why dont you start with the idea of removing every other one ...???

ken

I would recommend lifting them out with a chain attached to the bucket or front end rather than digging them out. Easier and less damage to the surrounding area.

Mike

For pretty much all Spirea, the "bowl haircut", crude though it may sound, is a part of proper care. Thing is, most peeps just do that, and forget about the accompanying renewal pruning that should also be happening. In renewal pruning, one removes the oldest, thickest "cane" or stem, as near to ground line as possible, leaving the younger, fresher stuff to comprise the plant going forward. This can be done more or less indefinitely. So, bowl haircut/renewal prune and your plants will be their best. That's really all there is to it. And BTW, Marie or somebody said it up above...maybe these plants have done their thing. But do consider these words. You may well be able to squeak a few more years out of them. Personally, don't see much call for "removing every other plant". That is not addressing your issues, plus leaves a gap-toothed composition. I got a guy up here who always uses that as the answer to every landscape problem. It doesn't work very well!

+oM

Thanks for the advice wisconsitom. Renewal pruning is something I hadn't considered. I guess this beautiful warm weather we are having right now is as good a time as any to do it. Taking every other one out is not an option in this case. Would have large gaps. I don't mind keeping them if I can get them under some control. Will prune and reevaluate next fall.

Good deal. I don't care for the "take out every other one" approach in most cases. Seems arbitrary, and a bit too much like how one would handle a red pine plantation, lol! Glad you're on the right path. Incidentally, in many long-neglected Spirea, there will be thick, mostly dead stems crammed into the matrix which will, with a bit of wiggling, often break free, just like that. Or not....ymmv!

+om

We cut spirea back to around 10-12" in a dome shaped fashion each spring. After that I walk/stomp all over the shrub which loosens all of the dead twigs that accumulate every year. It is actually pretty fun! We rake these out with a small hand rake. Once the first flowering is done we lightly trim off the spent flowers and usually end up with a second bright flush of growth and flowers.

Patio, you say, "they are outgrowing their space". What is limiting their space they want to grow in without cutting them back?

We've all been caught in planting shrubs in areas where they don't have enough room when mature. Sometimes it's just the lawn that's in the way. Cutting back on it is an easy solution , of course. The house, sidewalk or driveway is another matter. Good thing Spireas are easy to prune.

Mike

I have three spirea in my front yard -- I have no idea what kind. We are in SE Mich and cut them back every April to about 10" -- they come back like it never even happened. They are huge again now.

As I said, ultimate size of these plants will always grow "towards", is in the genetics. One is simply not going to discourage a plant such as spirea from growing by a single pruning or even rejuvenation pruning. You'll prune it every year and the year after that and the year after that....etc. One day you may get tired of pushing the boulder up the hill and trade the shears for a shovel.

Formal shearing of deciduous shrubs results in a tight ball of sticks all winter. Formal shearing of any shrubs not part of a formal design doesn't fit with the setting. Since this type of spirea blooms on new growth it should instead be cut down low each winter, if desired, and left with its natural habit during the summer. Or left natural multiple years between hard pruning episodes.

I do agree with you Embo, that 'Anthony Waterer' is not the classic bowl haircut type of Spirea. Still works okay, but not quite like the shorter cultivars.

+oM

I always trimmed my spirea in the very early spring so that it provided cover/ shelter for birds in the winter. And I concur with the others who said a heavy pruning is best, ours always came back beautifully within a couple of months after their early spring rejuvenation... ;)

And that's point of the OP's dilemma: spireas always come back beautifully to the size they are bred to be (or bigger)

There's nothing classic about shearing a small, twiggy deciduous shrub into a ball.

I learn something new on GW every time I log on. The prune stomp rake technique is original; I'm going to try it! As I grow more shrubs and trees for privacy I can look odder than I already am.....

It would be a lot easier to just cut them down low, get at the dead material that way.

I always think of the S. X vanhouttei as an old fashion shrub planted around older homes. Even though sometimes they're used as a foundation shrubs, I don't think that's the best placement for them. They're too large and sprawling, plus they're deciduous. Foundation shrubs are used to hide the foundation and should be evergreen in my opinion. Left field is a better place for them where their scale is more appropriate.

Mike