I have 2 Bay bushes in my garden. They get in the way and are a hazardous burden to trim every year. I don't want to destroy them as they are decades old so would be a shame.
I would like to reduce Thier size significantly (width and height). AFAICS the inner 80% of their width diameter is brown twigs and branches so if I were to trim them to 50% of thier width then they would create an eye saw.
What are my options please? If I did the above then how long would it take for them to become leafy again?
I am considering removing all branches on the lowest 8' thus leaving a bare vertical trunk with the upper section trimmed as spherical as possible. This would make it look more like a typical Bay Tree and the hope would be that the bare trunk would sprout new growth and I would end up with a thin leafy bush approx 3' wide and could then chop off the upper spherical section. Would this happen? Is so how long would it take?
PSA picture. The one on the right is approx 18' but varies between 20 and 16 before and after cutting.
Thanks in advance.
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