Prune the Crapes before mid-Feb. Use a bed edger and /or weed eater to keep your English Ivy under control. You may need to use a judicious amount of Weed Killer -painted on perhaps -around the circumference of any trees or shrubs in the same bed. I actually advise using alternatives to English Ivy as it is such a bear to maintain. It also is a mosquito magnet with those 'cupping' leaves. What type box hedges do you have. Is it true boxwood or a Holly of some type?

Suffruitcosa is much more delicate on the pruning and I am think you will get some brown out. If it is a microphylla (Wintergreen type) you should be ok pruning them now.

Remember the rule of thumb for pruning is to not take more than one fourth off at a time. In some cases you can push it to one third at a time.

Boxwoods don't respond well at all to severe pruning. It usually takes them years to recover and can kill some varieties. The time for pruning in the Atlanta area is probably March. Crape Myrtles may be pruned in late winter or early spring...but not "Crape Murder" allowed. Keep the ivy in check or it will get away from you. You can apply Roundup to the new growth when it starts coming out in the spring. Painting the leaves is probably best.

I TOTALLY AGREE WITH MIKE AND ANNE ABOUT CRAPE MURDER . IT REALLY MESSES WITH MY MIND TO SEE HOMEOWNERS BUTCHERING THEIR CRAPE MYRTLES . I HAVE 9 OF 3 DIFFERENT VARIETIES THAT HAVE GROWN TO OVER 20' TALL SINCE I PLANTED THEM ABOUT 12 YEARS AGO . OBVIOUSLY , NO TOP PRUNING , BUT I JUST FINISHED SOME PRUNING FOR SHAPING OF EACH . NORMALLY , I WOULD FOLLW THE OLD RULE OF THUMB , FOR THIS AREA , OF PRUNING IN LATE FEBUARY OR EARLY MARCH .YEARS AGO I LEARNED FOUR SEASON'S LESSON ABOUT IVY .