Management of garden bushes (ed.)

[Odds]

Cut back all the dead wood for a start - i don't get it...are you talking about killing off the oak to allow the fuschia to spread?

 

[Longshanks]

Thanks. Previous advice was to limit/remove oak due to proximity of root system to house.

 

[Why Not Indeed]

Can't even see an oak in your recent picture, so seems like you got rid of it pretty effectively?
I have a self-seeded oak in my garden that is 3 years old and it's not even a foot tall yet. You've probably got some time until it's a "monster".

 

[Longshanks]

Thanks. God knows what it is. Didn’t inherit my old man’s green fingers.

 

[Why Not Indeed]

I can see a rose and a fuchsia in there, and sundry other weeds. It was probably quite nice once, just needs some tidying. Fuchsia can take a good hard pruning but the time for that has probably passed this year. You can remove all the dead wood, though.

 

[Longshanks]

Thanks. Forgot about the rose bush.