Cutting Back Azalea

I have several HUGE azeala bushes beside my house that block two windows. When can they be cut back and how far back can they be cut?

Anne's response:

The azalea bushes that are now huge and block the windows can be “whacked back”. They get pruned as soon as they finish blooming and there are two approaches you could take. One is to cut he plants back to a manageable size then prune them to shape making sure you leave space in the middle of the plant for good air movement and some future growth. Remember to make all your final pruning cuts to a point on the stem that is just above a leaf scar where future growth can occur. The more drastic technique is to cut the plants back to less than a foot tall and let them produce new growth from the base of the plant. My large Formosa azaleas get that treatment about every 15 years to keep them in bounds. It takes about a year for them to recover but mine will have a few blooms the next year.