Bush adice - trimming and ability to withstand damage

[a_gunslinger]

I have three large bushes I need to either remove or trim back. Interestingly, these were 3 were small bushes in our yard when we bought the house a long time ago. For years they wouldnt grow much at all, seemed already at thier final height.

Moved them to where they are now and they all took off! Pretty sure we missed the opportunity to prune and cut back, esp for the evergreens in front (cant believe how large that got once moved to a different spot).

First: giant evergreen at corner of house. Not sure what it is. This thing remained at 2' x 3' for years. Moved to corner of house in front and took off. Every year thinkign I should find out if that can be pruned at all. Although it may have to go altogether because I have a downspout drainline I need to replace that is, you guessed it, right under it.

Second: An evergreen bush that also remained small until moved up against the house, then went crazy. Also probebaly missed our chances to prune back. We like this bush but it blocks the entire window now which is where I work and where we have many plants. Can a bush like this be drastically cut back at this point and rebound?

Thrisd: Arborvitae. Another remained about 8 ft for years, moved to front corner, now 25'. For this one, I have to replace that downspout drainline on that side of house also and afain, runs right under the Arborvitae. Im assuming it cant withstand dramatic root cutting, but figured I ask.

Thanks all!

 

[Martin Mikulcik]

First ones a juniper
Is the second a chamaecyparis, idk
Regardless they'll take some pruning but digging up a drain line underneath is a tall task.

Good luck

If you really want to shrink the second and not kill it, take it down slowly over the course of a few years, but it might be easier to try cutting very hard and hoping it lives. It probably will but no one's going to guarantee it. And killing it might be less work in the long run anyway considering it's never going to want to be a tiny ball under the window

 

[Sheal]

Welcome a_gunslinger.

Planting any of the conifer family close to buildings is not ideal. They are shallow rooted but the roots will spread widely in search of water, breaking into pipes if they are porous. This is possibly why you have problems with your downspout drainline.

Not being sure of the type of plants you have, be careful when pruning the sides. If you cut back into brown wood on some conifers they will not produce new growth. The height can be reduced without problems.

 

[Martin Mikulcik]

Welcome a_gunslinger.

Planting any of the conifer family close to buildings is not ideal. They are shallow rooted but the roots will spread widely in search of water, breaking into pipes if they are porous. This is possibly why you have problems with your downspout drainline.

Not being sure of the type of plants you have, be careful when pruning the sides. If you cut back into brown wood on some conifers they will not produce new growth. The height can be reduced without problems.

Yews do well around houses, certain junipers. Are you familiar with the junipers that have no apical growth because they are from a side branch cutting, they'll creep like a ground cover. And I've seen some extremely dwarf conifers, i want to say it was a thuja, the plant is 20 years old and about 3ft tall unpruned, but you gotta be a heck of a collector like my dad to have one. The power line company changed how they handled the plants under the lines once and they cut down some very slow growing conifers because they assumed they all grow as fast as eastern red cedar.

But yeah, pines, cedars, spruce, cypress, all of gunslingers plants, they outgrow next to the house fast

When pruning the sides, i think it's more a lack of light than anything, they won't sprout back from the bottom if they have to grow a few feet to get sun. They don't really want to be bushes. Around here if you shear a bush into a cube, the bottom branches will drop because most of our light is top down, something I've heard is less of problem where you are up north. Turtle shaped is quite forgiving

 

[Sluggy]

Welcome. Never cut back into brown wood on a conifer branch it will cause permanent damage.