This askes more questions ......
Why were the bushes cut down so drastically?
My friend was supposed to cut them back for me as they were getting wild, he went too far and i ended up with branhes rather than bushes.

What is the problem with your 3 year old daughter relevant to gardening?

The sharp thorny branches are about the same height as her, meaning I cant let her in the garden to play properly because she could really hurt herself.

Why are you killing the plants?
The state of them now, i dont want to leave them as they are for the rest of the summer and wait for them to grow back. Also as a full time, working, single parent and uni student, I dont have much free time to maintain a garden so something smaller with less pruning would suit me better.

What do you want in their place?

See above.

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Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK[/quote]