I chopped

back the two shrubs in front of our porch. I want them to have a more open growth habit, and the one in front of the living rooms windows is finally looking nice. Much healthier this year, too. But the pair by the porch were already swarming with whitefly this spring. I was going to just cut back the worst branches, but they're all infested. So started cutting- and the plant kinda showed me where. Below the mass of compact foliage (dense enough I could set my clippers or a collection container on top of the shrub and railing!) there was a good several inches of dead massed leaves and bug litter, then naked stems below but with a few fresh leaves sprouting further down. I pretty much cut each stem right above a new leaf sprig, removing all the top mass. 

It looks severe. My daughter exclaimed as soon as she got home "Mom, what did you do!?" as I expected. (My husband just said "hey, you removed the cat's hiding spot"). I reassured each of them it will grow back! and hopefully look a lot better.