Hi Colter it depends on which shrubs you are talking about. as a general rule Spring flowering ones are pruned after flowering as new leaves open. summer and autumn flowering ones in the early spring before growth starts. but individual species have their own needs.
many soft wood cuttings can still be taken now.
again what shrubs are you growing.
good about the laurels.

Thank you for your help will try cotoneaster cuttings and more laurel have got over an acre to fill, mostly lawn am wanting evergreens to give all year colour with a few shrub/bulbs as too much to keep weed free. Couldbintake cuttingsvfrom pierces now?

Hi, as Seaburngirl says, it depends on which species you have, but whether you have a deciduous species, or an evergreen one, now is a bit late to take cuttings, deciduous cuttings should be taken in in early summer, and evergreen in late summer, however a lot of species are apomictic, and come true from seed, which should be sown as soon as they're ripe in autumn, and put in a cold frame, where they will germinate next spring after stratification, Derek.

Thank you all for your help and advice if i have go at them and not paid high price at the garden centre don't feel so guilty when the rabbits eat them! Might get lucky and they leave some for me