Azaleas have dormant buds all along their stems just under the bark so they can respond well to hard pruning if necessary. You might try to leave a few inches of the framework though and not go to ground level - leave some wood containing those dormant buds.

Spring when growth would normally be occuring is a safe time - during or immediately after flowering. Mulch the root zone, keep it adequately watered so not under stress and it should recover nicely.

Severe pruning is not uncommon with rhododendrons and azaleas. A healthy plant can be cut to the ground and will usually come back. Rhododendrons and azaleas have dormant buds beneath the bark which sprout to form new growth after severe pruning. However, Richard Colbert reported that such attempts at Tyler Arboretum were only successful if the plant had enough sun light. Those in heavy shade frequently died. He recommend first opening up the shade by thinning the forest canopy. Then he recommends just removing some of the top to induce new growth at the base. Then when that new growth is established, the remainder of the top can be removed.

So after flowering would it be safe to cut off the top of the shrub, what happens if we get rid of all the the foliage, it's really skimpy in that area it's so leggy, or would that not be a problem?

It's not a problem. Deer pruned two of mine last year (first time) - I don't let anyone else do my pruning :) so corrected their efforts. Nothing was left but low woody stubs which quickly produced growth buds; the azaleas are full and dense again now.

Casting my vote with the others, cutting your azaleas back cleanly to 6 inch (or so) stumps will result in a fine regrowth of a lot of foliage. How much depends upon the age of the plant, its overall health and vigor, the site conditions, etc.

In my experience, if you take just a little off the top, you will get some new growth but that the procedure will effect mostly those dormant buds in closest proximity to the cut. You are not likely to be well-pleased with the results. I've had far better (long term and short term) results with doing a proper rejuvenation prune (6 inch stumps).

I would also suggest that you exercise caution when fertilizing this particular plant during the upcoming many months. The last thing it will need is one more reason for excessive vegetative growth!!

As I mentioned before, if the plant is in too much shade, it will kill the plant.

Richard Colbert at Tyler Arboretum in the Philadelphia area found severe pruning was only successful if the plant had enough sun light. Those in heavy shade died. He recommends first opening up the shade by thinning the forest canopy. Then he recommends just removing some of the top to induce new growth at the base. Then when that new growth is established, the remainder of the top can be removed.

If you ignore this you risk killing your plants.

All experiences are worthy of consideration, rhody. In mine, removing some top growth does little to induce new growth at the base, but rather simply lowers the 'umbrella', pretty much as I stated earlier. This proves to be true especially in older azaleas.

Over many years, I have been responsible for the rejuvenation of thousands of azaleas, old and not so old. Most were planted in the rather dense shade of Live Oaks or any of a variety of pines typical of the south. I soon learned that, though I often had to convince the owners of valuable properties that I knew what I was talking about, cutting these shrubs properly the first time around was the best management practice.

The one primary difference that I see between Tyler Arboretum and my own professional experiences is that of climate. If Colbert attempted a traditional rejuvenation pruning on azaleas in that location, and they died or declined, I suspect species and/or over all climate to be the problem, rather than the amount of sunlight.

I should add, too, that rejuvenation pruning is a stressful event for any plant, but I would guess that I've witnessed about a 95% success rate on a wide variety of plant genera. I know that it doesn't lengthen the normal life span of a particular plant (in all likelihood), but it can certainly return the top growth to a juvenile, attractive, and luscious state. And will do so in a matter of a very few months.

The plants that Rick Colbert was rejuvenating at Tyler were original Dexter Hybrids that Dr. John Wister of Swarthmore University had planted many decades ago. Many of these original hybrids had to replaced with clones.

In any case, if one is rejuvenating a planting, they need to consider all facets of the plants environment as well as the pruning. They need to have the correct pH, the correct light conditions, correct drainage and good mulching. If any one of these is way out of balance, it can doom any efforts.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tyler Arboretum

Thank you all for your comments. The area has considerable amounts of morning sun, the legginess is due to being overcrowded by wild shrubs and not getting attention. I feel so bad.

So being said I should cut it around the time it's blooming or finished blooming then?

If you want to enjoy next spring's blooms, then prune after it blooms. You can prune anytime, but the new flower buds are formed in summer so pruning after blooming usually allows you to enjoy the flower before blooming and then allows the plant to form flower buds for the next year after you prune.

Oath, with weather sometimes being unpredictable, you could run into problems pruning now, Spring would be safer. Should you have a stretch of warmish days, growth buds could begin to break, then be damaged in their tender stage by more seasonal freezes.

This is a maritime zone 8b (where we aren't supposed to have extremes in weather); a neighbor had a mow/blow type laborer prune rhododendrons and azaleas here in December last year in readying his house to list for sale...the new growth that resulted didn't survive while we rarely see cold damage to either shrub. Spring pruning would give the new growth time to mature before it faces cold weather.