I prune all the time, Sue. I have to or the new growth would cover my entire yard and deck. I start pruning as soon as the leaves appear and continue through late fall.
Interior pruning is done mostly in the fall but since mine are both in tree form, it's pretty difficult to get close to the real interior.
Mine bloomed with only a cluster or two one warm fall day a couple of years ago, but after the leaves appear, rarely if ever does it bloom; not till now.
