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mdnightsky

What to do with my juniper

mdnightsky
9 years ago

Hi!
We bought our house a year ago and with it came a bunch of lovely but over grown shrubs.
I am still learning so pardon if any info on here is wrong.

We have (what I think is...) a juniper bush in our front bed by the front door. I am not a fan but my husband likes it and wants to keep it. It has grown a bit unruly and I would like to trim it down to keep it healthy, looking nice and not blocking the pathway to our front door. Should I prune it? If so, when and how much should I take off?

thanks!

Comments (8)

  • kitasei
    9 years ago

    yes it is a juniper and you can prune it by selecting individual branches and cutting them back near the main trunk. that will keep it looking natural. What you don't want to do is shear the ends into a formal shape.

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    9 years ago

    or your husband can go buy a 10$ replacement at bigboxstore.. and plant it in a proper place...

    this is a conifer ... there is such a forum.. if you are interested .. though no need to duplicate this post there ....

    if you look at the new growth.. note the trunk is blue.. where it changes to brown.. that is last years growth...

    it looks like this one is growing about 8 to 12 inches per year... in theory.. in ten years.. it could be.. 10 feet large ... and that isnt good ... and frankly.. i dont prune my conifers a foot per year ....

    since you didnt put it there.. let me be brutally honest.... the nimrod who planted that cute little bush there.. had no clue that as the tree it is.. it will grow up to be a monster ...

    so my best advice.. is to move it.. good experiment for hubby.. and fall is when to do it... do a post in the conifer forum if he wants know how ...

    and then.. plan on doing some landscaping of the front of your house ... they are all looking extremely old.. and overgrown... keep in mind.. that plants are planted to hide the foundation.. not ON THE FOUNDATION .. again ... whoever planted these shrubs.. a decade or two ago.. didnt understand this...

    i am thinking you have a nice looking front facade ... and a 50 year old landscape.. i am positive.. you can do better ... think of it this way.. you moved in.. redecorated the house.. carpeting.. appliances.. whatever.. etc... next year.. its the front yard ... you got rid of the 70s kitchen.. now its time to get rid of the 70s bushes ... lol...

    good luck

    ken

  • Dave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A
    9 years ago

    There are other junipers that would stay smaller and/or lower.

    Japanese garden juniper (Juniperus procumbens nana) is easily controllable.

    Juniper 'Icee Blue' and 'Goldstrike' are interesting ones and are low 'rug' types.

    Not sure how much shade that area gets, but Pachysandra is a nice low-maintenance ground cover next to a walk. I especially like 'Green Sheen'.

  • mikebotann
    9 years ago

    I would jerk it out with a chain and a truck.
    Junipers are commonly planted next to walks and driveways as if they will never grow.
    When I was a landscaper, I pulled hundreds out with my truck over the years. Same with mugo pines.
    Mike...retired. :-)

  • mdnightsky
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks so much for all your suggestions! That area gets full sun so I would need something that can handle it - any suggestions? Our yard is very small so I am not sure where we would move the juniper. Does anyone know exactly what type of juniper it is? I'd like to do more research on it.

  • mikebotann
    9 years ago

    You can try to move the juniper, but they aren't noted for transplanting well after being in one spot for several years.
    You can do much better than a commonly planted juniper, especially in a small yard.
    I think you should study well done small landscapes in your area. Learn to get a sense of scale. Start with a pleasing lawn shape and then place the plants in the resulting beds.You're not stuck with the shape you bought. Think big, as in changes, not scale.
    Mike

  • IanW Zone 5 Ont. Can.
    9 years ago

    Might be a Prince of Wales juniper....

    Here is a link that might be useful: Prince of Wales juniper

  • mikebotann
    9 years ago

    I said in an earlier post, "Junipers are commonly planted next to walks and driveways as if they will never grow. "
    Even the example shown in the link is growing out over the walk...and it's still small!
    Drymanhatten mentioned that you can individually prune out branches rather than shear them. Correct, but it's a lesson in futility in that you have to keep at it. Give a plant enough room to begin with and maintenance is a lot less work.
    We all make mistakes along those lines. My garden is a good example of it in a lot of cases, but there are three plants that are the most commonly planted with not enough room to grow to their potential.
    Ground hugging junipers, mugo pines, and weeping cherries.
    Seed grown mugos are usually purchased over grafted forms because they're cheaper. They also have an amazing amount of genetic variability when it comes to growth rate and ultimate size, both in width and height.
    Weeping cherries are weeping. They won't get any wider, will they? ;-)
    Mike

    This post was edited by mikebotann on Fri, Sep 12, 14 at 7:26