If you do a light trim of the tips on the sides and top even before it gets full sized you will get more branching and a fuller shape. With that many plants you’re going to need some type of trimmer. After a lot of research I just got an EGO cordless hedge trimmer from Home Depot. It’s great to not have to deal with gas and oil and spark plugs and yanking on cords while playing with the choke. I trimmed about 80 feet of privet, a large bougainvillea and some lantana on one charge. It easily cut half inch branches. It’s well balanced and lighter than my Redmax gas trimmer, plus it’s much quieter. Highly recommended.

Thank you kindly @kentc, I appreciate the tip, also the power tool referral.