Oops, clicked submit too soon. I meant to include this closeup.

in MI ... in my adrian ...

that would be juniper virginiana .. a horribly invasive weed tree [and i use the term generally] ... you can see hundreds of them in any unmown MI farm field ... and lining the roadways ...

and in this particular plants case.. in too much shade ... making it look spindly ...

BUT!!!! ..... these arent the best pix ... but any other thing the pic might suggest.. is probably not a MI plant ....

can you get a macro pic of the needles??? ... find some blue cones???

it is a conifer.. and a tree ... not really a shrub .... and that is important.. with such things as pruning rules ...

ken

ps: i kill hundreds of them every year on my 5 acres.. freakin birds ....

Here is a link that might be useful: hit the link for ALL PIX just beloe the pic ...

Thanks Ken. If it's a juniper then I don't want it in my front yard. The softness of the needle threw me, but like you said it's not really thriving where it is. I struggle with my camera, but here is a closeup of the leaves. I couldn't find any cones.

Ken, are you still harping on that "conifers cannot be shrubs " crap? Nonsense, lol.

Snail, it is difficult to tell much from these pictures but it appears that the stems are squarish, which would lead me to think that your plant might be a Taxus (Yew) of one kind or another.

It is not a Juniper.

Moving plants that have been growing in the shade to a very sunny location can often be disasterous. Sun scald can result in such severe damage that a plant can die.

Yews I like! I don't know how much better of a pic I can get with this camera and the resizing. I'm happy with yew though. I have another place close by that I can move them where they'd get mostly shade and dappled sun and only an hour or two of direct sun at most. I wanted a privacy shrub there anyway so that would work out well. Thanks!

Snail,
Why don't you leave them there and cut down a tree so that it will get more sun?
Even just 1 tree that is directly shading them?
Or a big branch that is directly shading them?

When I saw your first pic I thought Taxus canadensis, a native to Mich. Your second pic gives me doubts, but it could be a struggling specimen.

tj

Well you all have me intrigued now.

tsugajunkie - I know that yew! I see them all over in the woods here. I don't think that's what this is though, but I could be wrong!

I did move it over the weekend and planted it along my fence. It was actually only a few plants with long, sprawling branches. I swear it smelled like juniper but it's soft like a yew. It didn't have much of a root system but it sure was hard to dig out.

I took a few more photos tonight. It's raining and I hate my camera, so this is the best I could get. Does this confirm or change any guesses?

Juniper virginiana can be soft and quite different in the undergrowth...but I don't recall seeing squared stems on it before.

One of the low, spreading varieties of the widely distributed Juniperus communis.

I agree, bboy. The color is right for J. communis and wrong for J. virginiana.
Mike

Yes! I googled some images of J. communis and found one of a young shoot that convinces me. I'm not a fan of junipers really, but this one will serve a good purpose as a privacy hedge to the backyard and blend in nicely with the surrounding pines. Plus it was free. Thanks all for your input. I learn so much here.

Ken, are you still harping on that "conifers cannot be shrubs " crap? Nonsense, lol.

==>>> crikey ...

in GARDENWEB .... there is a conifer forum.. of which this is .. and it has certain resident experts ...

there is a tree forum also ... which has some of the conifer experts.. and some tree experts ...

there is also a shrub forum .. which i like to think of as FLOWERING SHRUB forum ... of which i have nearly NEVER seen many of the hardcore conifer peeps hanging ... bboy being an exception in this case ...

but the point isnt what the plant is called... its other sources of information... should you not find an answer in a given forum ... its like going to the library.. and looking in one book ... whats the downside of looking in other books.. other forums.. should you not get an answer ... of which.. you now have yoru answer on this plant ....

if snail is in lower MI .. and interested in conifers ... there are great collections at hidden lakes in tipton MI [just west of tecumseh] and at gee tree farm in stockbridge [just north of jackson] ...

its fall color time in MI ... a great reason to go for a long car ride.. to a world class arborteum ...

MI is one of the meccas of the conifer world ... being weirdly situated that you have opportunities to grow a vast range of conifers... beyond scrub trees found in a forest [bird planted and invasive on some level] .... if you are interested.. email me ..thru my memebers page ....

i had the 2008 national hosta society to my gardens... by the time they got here.. they were rather fed up with hosta ... but were amazed at the diversity of my conifer collection ... being amazed at plants they couldnt grow ... not all that far away ...

ken

Ken, I guess I take it for granted living here (NW lower MI) with all the types of conifers (I call them pines, maybe that's not the right terminology). In my "piney" neighborhood alone, there are more varieties than I can ID. People cut down the red pines, not sure why - it leaves the ugliest gaps in the landscape. I love 'em all. They maintain privacy between houses in winter. Spruces are my favorite. Only downside is all the needles and dead underbrush. I worry about forest fires and people being careless with campfires and cigarette butts. But I digress.

Terminology.....especially when it comes to plants and gardening......is a tricky thing ;-)) It sure helps when asking questions to use the correct terminology as it usually generates better responses but not everyone is familiar with the correct terminology so we go from there! Often when responding to specific questions posters will try to educate as well, so that the OP will know more going forward and that future questions may presented more clearly for better responses.

Not all needled - as opposed to broad leafed - trees are pines and not all cones that these trees produce are 'pine cones'. Pines are just one of many types of conifers - firs, junipers, spruces, hemlocks, cypresses, etc. all belong to this grouping. We won't even talk about cedars, as that is a common term that can get everybody confused!

Now to Ken's comment :-)) The term "conifer" is applied to a type of plant. The terms "tree" or "shrub" are applied to a manner of growth, not a specific type of plant. In many cases, there is considerable overlap. There are shrub-like perennials and tree-like shrubs. And not all shrubs are flowering plants! Many produce flowers that are so insignificant as to never be noticed or in the case of needled shrubs, not produce anything recognizable as a flower at all!!

Not all conifers are trees. Many are but they can also be shrubs of varying size. They can also be groundcovers. All that means is they display a form of growth that is not tree-like, i.e., no clear, distinct trunk and minimal height.

I know Ken's intent was to direct you to the best place on GW to get your questions answered but it really doesn't matter where you ask your questions. Knowledgeable folks abound all over. And sometimes his adamant declarations can be confusing, especially to new posters or rookie gardeners.

If nothing else, you can take away with you the fact that not all conifers are pines :-)) And also that not all conifers are trees :-) And not all shrubs produce showy flowers :-)