How do I properly care for this screen of evergreens?

13 years ago

This is my first season in a new house ... the grounds were beautifully planted 12 years ago, but not (well) tended for the last 5-6. I've thinned many of the barberries and boxwoods to encourage air circulation and to remove dead branches ... but I'm not sure how to properly care for these evergreens (forgive me if I don't now their name). The foliage exposed to the sun is green, but there's little growth underneath a thin canopy of foliage and browning here and there.

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Comments (3)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
13 years ago
the juniper with the blight.. or winter damage.. should probably go .... its not worth the effort ...

there is a conifer forum.. not all evergreens are conifers... things are done differently with different types ...

i suggest pix of individual plants.. to get proper IDs ... in the tree forum.. the conifer forum.. the shrub forum.. and as a last option the name that plant forum .... so you can learn about every individual one..

regardless.. simply maintain the mulch.. keep out the weeds. and enjoy..

as they are all mature plants.. they need ABSOLUTELY NOTHING .... i mean nothing... which is proved by the neglect for the last 6 years.. and how nice it looks

i see a rhododendron flowering.. a barberry ... a pine .. a spruce ...

most IDs are accomplished with a pic of the bark.. a leaf.. and cones or seed pods if any ...

looks like you might have rabbit damage also.. if those are all juniper.. i would plan on getting on with life.. and putting something better in there...

the hardest lesson for a new home owner to learn.. in the garden.. is to get rid of the prior owners problems. ... trust me... been there done that

good luck

ken
onthebrinck
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks, Ken, for the advice. There are actually about 6 of these 'junipers' in that picture and, you're right, removing them would be a heartbreaking decision for me. The lack of growth at the bottom of the bushes was caused (in my opinion) by the ground ivy I just removed which was 18" thick under these bushes and had grown throughout the foliage and up into the trees (I would guess I removed about 5 cubic yards of it in total). There is a single rabbit in the yard, but I've never seen him munching on any of this. Is there anyway to encourage foliage nearer the ground than what is shown in these photos?
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
13 years ago
it was caused by the ivy shading out needles that need sunlight ..

LISTEN TO ME .... i tried .. for 5 years to keep.. for the history of my first house.. all these cool old plants ... what a freakin nightmare.. and the happiest day of my life in that house was when i got rid of all the problems the prior owner left me ... YOU HAVE TO GET PAST THE EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENT TO THOSE PLANTS ..

check the link.. you emotionally avoided my comment that they are diseased.. ergo .. they are not going to grow vigorously and re-green the bottom part ...

we are on a pix posting crusade over in the conifer forum.. there ought to be hundreds of plants to get emotionally attached to, that are not diseased..

good luck

whatever you decide

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link