Absolutely! You can even go lower w/no ill effects. They're also relatively easy to transplant. We expanded front walkway so uprooted, replanted 2 days later, no biggie.

Thanks! Can I just use electric hedge trimmers straight across? I keep reading about how evil those are because they encourage only outside growth and how you need to hand prune from the inside. But hand pruning that thing 2 feet lower is something I may not do ha.

Another after pic

Electric is easiest and we started that way, but eventually had to use loppers for a neater prune job. Highly recommend. DH did 70' using electric and I did manual hand pruning in shrub centers., no biggie at all!

Great pics and advice, thanks! Last follow up - can I do this this time of year in southern VA? "Early Summer"

and when your not happy with it.. you always have option 2 ...

outside your box ... a major renovation job.. right out the front door... can be very ugly.. for very long.. especially if you spend any time sitting on the porch ... but all this is to your tolerance ...

dont know where you are.. but let me suggest.. that TX has a much longer growing/recovery season.. than most of us.. heck it might be twice the length of my MI growing season .... and as such.. TX plants will recover in a season or two.. and here in MI it might be 3 or 4 seasons ...

i highly doubt its an electric shear thing.. unless you have some high powered shears ...

good luck, and have fun ...

ken

BTW: it would be interesting to know if you are in an area with one of the boxwood plagues ....

Ken, I'm in southern Virginia and haven't heard of this awful boxwood plague!

IME, boxwoods decline with age and from wild temp and moisture fluctuations. My boxwoods are 30+ years and as I was trimming, I got a close look at the bases and noticed holes, prob from insects activity over time. Whenever I could, I removed those branches, but had I left them, I have no doubt the shrub's days were counted. I lost some in the drought of 2011 and I lost one this year after flooding. I can't speak about the plague but I've scanned literature on it. I suspect age and temp trauma are the true killers and the so called plague overtakes when the shrubs are weak. But that is my exp. can't really talk about other's.

https://www.google.com/search?q=boxwood+diseases&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8#q=boxwood+blight

Sounds as if you have decided what to do but IMO removing at least the one on the right would open up that porch amazingly and make the steps ever so much more inviting. It's a very nice architectural feature and it's a shame to hide it.

I trimmed my overgrown boxwoods drastically, but I did it midwinter in Michigan. With what you are showing as your final height, I would trim them further down because the trimming will encourage new growth and a little further down you would end up with the height you want. I would not rip them out and start over.

you can do what you are talking about, no problem. do not do what bossyvossy done and ruin your boxwoods.