I agree, it sure is faster to prune with my poor eyesight when there is a nice plump bud eye or small leaf.

I agree and pruning can be done minimally too. It is not required for plant health.

I'm hitting year 5 of them being planted.

I'm a little disappointed on the lack of new canes from soil level is the short soap box confession

I can count only a handful that I have seen new canes from the soil line up. Nothing really major to brag about. From soil line up, I got one shrub with 2 new canes, another shrub with one new cane from soil line up , and 2 other shrubs that have new canes but they are medicore in size.

The rest.....(these are all grafted plants), have *thick* original stems from time of planting with various WYES growing from the original stems. So each shrub may have 3-4 LARGE stems , WYE branching, etc - subsequent growth from there.

Once leafed and bloomed out, its more a bloom show and the overall size of the plant is there

However, in the boatload of videos I have youtubed to understand proper pruning, I see many new canes from soil line up. *which is the preferred planting * I want. I dunno if it's due to them being own root. Or just very establised grafted roots that have shot up those many new singular canes in that planting space.

I want to see more fresh new canes and not these (ahem, strongy worded) barky mini trunks.

I did a final winter cleanup recently. I pulled back the mulch and all of them got a huge handful of alfala pellets spread around, in hope to push and prod new canes from ground up. We shall see if the tricantonal works this year. (and fwiw as a sidenote, they have been getting alfalfa tea and pellet feed since year 2 of planting)