first off.. you can do a lot of damage being out too early ... especially if you are walking in your beds.. making concrete out of your soil ... second.. if you have more than one.. experiment.. you are more likely to remember... if you try different methods.. third.. get down there.. and look to see if there are buds down low.. if so ... off with their heads ... all the power to the buds ... if you dont see them.. and your research already said to do it.. perhaps you are out too early ... but it wont matter.. just do it ... and really.. the name of the plant doesnt matter ... just about everything goes low in early spring .... [of which we will now get a list of those that shouldnt.. lol ... but i am devious that way .. lol ...] ken

I've successfully taken cutting from late Jan to late summer. I cut under a node.

Mindy definitely an interesting point of view expressed in the article. Like George, I hate to see the disorder out in the garden and plus in spring my gardens are very muddy and take a long time to dry out enough. I am afraid I wouldn't have the time to do everything in the spring also. But one season when illness prevent me from doing the clearing in fall fully I can tell you that the plants overwintered better with the protection of the leaves and the foliage was as you stated dramatically reduced. I can see for your garden and lot having visited it that it would be difficult for you to find a composting spot as your gardens are so lushly planted. Thanks for posting --interesting to debate the merits of each method. Sue

Both can be cut back severely and should recover well (no guarantees, of course). One of the public gardens in northern NJ known for its collection of rhodies cuts them back severely when needed. You may well lose a season, or a few, of blooms, and it may take a while for the shrubs to fill out, but the results will be worth it. Give them a gentle feeding of organic fertilizer and they should respond well.