the white spots make me think forsythia.. but at 14 degrees.. i am not walking out to compare to mine.. lol ... a failsafe check.. would be to cut some branch ends.. and put them in a vase.. and they will bloom in a week or so ... if they have had enough chill time ... if they confirm forsythia.. google: rejuvenation pruning of flowering shrubs.. and get to work ... you would remove all the largest branches as close to the ground as you can get ... ... looking at yours.. w/o a scale.. remove everything greater than 3/4 of an inch ... and see what you can make of it and stop pruning it at height ... that is part of your base problem ... and after 2 years of rejuvenation ... either decide you like where you are going with it ,... OR GET RID OF IT ... you really dont have to keep things that bother you .... the ones you forced into bloom ... will root inside a month or so.. so lucky you.. you can have more of them ... lol ... in all reality.. no matter what it is.. you could probably cut it to 3 inches.. ALL OF IT ... and have a nice smaller plant in spring.. though if you do it now.. you will cut off all the flowers.. so no spring show.. and that is why you could cut it to the ground..as soon as it is done blooming ... you will probably be pleased with the result ... or you will get rid of it .... ken

1, 2 and done. Just shaded the other two. I probably would have just left them if you didn't say anything Dax. I had some time this morning and seeing that its approaching 100 tomorrow thats a no win situation for these plants fully exposed. No fireworks and sitting inside for the 4th...what a blast!

New root growth occurs in spring when dormant stem buds open and send hormones to the root tips which prompt them to elongate. Roots pruned back in fall (or later) may be expected to more or less just sit there until spring, when they get the chemical signal from the buds. Existing, intact roots elongate in fall, after the winter buds are set. 60% of the annual increase in root length occurs at this time. This is one of the reasons fall is the best time to plant cold hardy stock. If you catch a particular specimen just before it produces the annual fall root push you can have it take hold of the ground on the new site quite nicely - as long as you did not have to correct any root deformities at planting.

Hardy plants in cold climates effectively hibernate over winter. Like bears these store energy before entering hibernation and then live off it during the winter, "emerge" in spring in a depleted condition. So when there is cutting of the roots and digging of these plants in spring they are being impacted at a time of the year when they are low in energy. However it is also true that the opening of stem buds in spring is what prompts the growth of new roots from cut root ends. So if dormant plants can be moved right before the tops come to life in spring then new roots will be generated immediately afterward. As with fall planting opportunity for success is maximized by timing it with specific relation to what state the stem buds are in. Winter: Activity minimal or effectively non-existent, depending on how cold it is Spring: Winter stem buds open, new shoots appear and may flower, new roots are formed Summer: Flowering or fruiting may occur, roots grow some Autumn: Fruiting may occur, winter stem buds form, existing roots elongate markedly (60% of annual total) Spring shoot and root growth is caused by the opening of the winter stem buds. Autumn root elongation is caused by the maturing of the winter stem buds. At both times hormones are sent from the buds to the root ends which cause these to grow. For modern, research based information see the print publications of Carl E Whitcomb (Lacebark Inc) - present at colleges with horticulture programs, including my local community college - the print publications and web pages of Linda Chalker-Scott (Washington State University), and the Garden Professors blog.