Annoyed But Need Tact

In my experience you can't get rid of pyracanthus no matter what you do to them!!
You can prune them spring through to autumn.

I'd say nothing rather than upset him.

I asked someone to cut fuschia bushes right down in the spring, DH was horrified but they've grown back up again.

"I think wait and see is the best policy, they may thrive even more and you may upset him for nothing."

Thanks Callistemon will do.

I'm an eccentric gardener who likes what most normal people would call overgrown. My son is lovely however he is conventional and likes gardens to be controlled.

The bushes in question are pyracanthus if I remember. Not particularly high status plants, but I sort of talk to all the things in my garden and have been praising the two pyracanthuses for their enthusiastic recovery after the new fence was installed and they had to be cut right down to stumps.

My main concern is that my nice son doesn't seem to remember what I have said especially when secateurs or loppers are available.

Hi, I probably wouldn't say anything until you see what actual damage has been caused, which might take until next year. Lots of plants are better for being trimmed, others, as you have mentioned, will take longer to recover or may not flower the following year. I'd wait and see what happens and if any real damage emerges, point it out to your son as you notice so that you can show him what has happened as a result of wrong pruning.

Alternatively, you seem to have a lot of things that need trimmed and so maybe its time to get in a gardener in for the pruning, leaving chopping back weeds to your son?

I think you should not mention it.
He can't make it right so what is the point?
NEXT time you should maybe supervise him or use Batty's idea in reverse - just mark the ones you do want cutting back.

Sounds like a lovely son who wants to help you with what appears to be a huge garden that you can’t manage? I would suggest you either go around the garden when he works to supervise or leave him to it.

Grandmabatty

Can you put coloured tape on the trees or bushes that he has to prune? Or if there are lots, tape on the bushes he has to leave alone. Then just thank him and keep reminding him

Good idea

After my son went away I discovered he had cut all the growing tips off two evergreen bushes that I watched with pleasure as they grew taller
They should sprout again. Are they non-flowering?
Some need to be pruned now, others in the winter, some in the spring, it is confusing. I not sure what yours are but they should be ok.

Our weigelia looked dead so DD has just hacked it - whether or not it will survive is debatable!!

I had thought he was safe around secateurs
? I'm not, DH gets anxious when I set to with secateurs or loppers.
Shrubs and bushes seem to survive however.

I think wait and see is the best policy, they may thrive even more and you may upset him for nothing.

I have about a hundred bushes and trees. I keep a sort of woodland garden.

Can you put coloured tape on the trees or bushes that he has to prune? Or if there are lots, tape on the bushes he has to leave alone. Then just thank him and keep reminding him