Red Robin Shrubs

Good evening all. Three years ago I purchased some very small Laurel hedge plants and Red Robin, though these were much larger. The laurel hedge plants have caught up in size and both are a good size. Last year I trimmed the Laurel hedge plants with the aim of getting them to become bushy. Seems I cut in the incorrect places as where I cut there does not seem to be any new growth. Should I have cut above a leaf node?

How should these plants be trimmed to encourage growth? I want them to grow tall so am hesitant to cut the height down as I am not really sure what to do.

I found one Red Robin that had a really good central, upright 1.3 meter stem. I took this one out of the ground, cut the stems that are not required and potted this in a large pot with a sturdy stick to support the stem. I am trying to grow this into a small tree. It survived the transfer from ground to pot and has put on new growth at the top. Any ideas how I should proceed with this? ( I am also trying this with a fuchsia cutting from instructions I found on the internet )

Thank you kindly.