I have been pruning my trees and shrubs in a mostly haphazard way over the years. My latest thought is to just let them grow however they want to. I live in a rural setting so space is not an issue. I also have a pretty loose gardening style. Right now I have a mature forsythia that is almost done blooming and per info I should prune it soon to 'keep it under control.' I'm rather wondering what if I just let it go? It is a bit floppy but maybe that's what it wants to be. I have a mixed shrub border along our driveway, and it seems that if I just let them all do their own thing it might intertwine and have an interesting look. A couple years back I hired a guy to prune, and he cut all my shrubs to the same exact height and balled them up. I was not fond of that look, but they did recover nicely and are now at various heights depending on their growth pattern. I'm about ready to adopt a 'quit torturing them' attitude. Thoughts?

Let them go and see what happens.

I have a forsythia in the front yard along the road. I used to trim it but stopped a few years ago. It blooms better now and looks fuller once the leaves come out. I like it better this way. Give it a try!

Deb - I never thought pruning forsythia into upright rigid forms was how they wanted to grow. While I don't necessarily prune for shape, I do occasionally prune old branches to the ground to thin out the plant or prune low hanging tips so that they don't touch the ground and start new plants creating a thicket.

I'd be OK with a forsythia thicket. I'll try to ID the rest of my shrub border, it was mainly inexpensive shrubs since there was no watering to be had. I know there are a couple Cecile Brunner roses, ninebark, viburnums, a smoke bush, euonymous, random pink things. I walked the drive and snipped anything that was interfering with vehicles and will just let the border do what it pleases.

I like the casual look and just cut back things that get in the way - seriously in the way. I don't believe that plants really want or expect to be pruned.

I just cut off/back anything that doesn't look right or if it has something wrong with it.