Depends on what kinds they are, you need to give names of specific ones to get useful advice: at least come up with something on the level of "yew" or "holly", if not "Hicks yew" or "Japanese holly".

Pics below

This post was edited by chefwong on Thu, May 2, 13 at 13:28

A pic of the groundcover ones

{{gwi:253742}}

Large Evergreens

{{gwi:253743}}

They look fine now, if you cut them back into brown and bare you might as well pull them out - conifers do not come back well from bare wood.

My issue is the height.

On the groundcover, I feel that on the high growth spots, if I don't cut them back, they will just get a thicker core this summer.....and I WON'T be able to cut it next year.

On the large ones....I was busy with renovations & newborns for the last 2 years so I did not cut them at all.. They are a easy 12" too high currently. I cut off about 4-5 inches 2 weeks ago. Left about 1/4" of green - rest is brown underneath in the tops. I'm not sure how much I can cut into the brown on these......if I want to LOP off another 12"...

I just googled conifer - the leaves do not look at all like conifers though, unless my googling is wrong...

the first looks like a Juniper horizontalis ... i have no clue of the cultivar

the second also looks like a juniper.. but i wouldnt bet a nickle on that ID.. since i cant focus on the leaves .. platycladus???

there is a conifer forum... try there

of my 600 conifers.. there are only 3.. so badly planted.. they have ever needed pruning ... if you are needing to cut on your so often.. that speaks directly to the wrong plant in the wrong spot ...

if you do go to the conifer forum.. a pic of the whole site.. and a pic of the needles themselves will be important ...

again.. they are conifers.. which are also trees ... but they are not.. technically shrubs .. though i admit i used that term for decades .... and this use of common terms.. MIGHT BE why googling is failing you ...

ken