My bushes have been in place for around 15 years and are well established with large root systems. I often prune in fall and it has not hurt my bushes although I do not prune them as far back as I had to this fall. The normal pruning I have done in fall has never hurt the bushes as the rabbits trim them way back most winters which never hurts the bushes. I do sprinkle alfalfa pellets around those the rabbits chewed almost to the ground in spring to give them a boast to get a good start growing.
