Why'd you cut the lower branches off? Usually Junipers look better with them retained.

Photos would help... for example, we would like to see exactly how sharp the lean is and what the leader is doing (leaning or straight).

maybe they want to go to CA??? ... lol

we need a picture ...

ken

Only the branches near the ground to about 2 feet up were cut off. They were blocking usable walking space on the patio.

Is there shade from something behind them? Whatever the case, I doubt there is anything reasonable to be done about this, especially if the tops are growing more or less straight.

+oM

If I had to guess... I'd say they were planted a smidge too close when they were first put in and the two on the right tried to "get away" from the rest by growing more towards the right. Hard to tell but it looks like they straighten out near their tops. As wisconsitom says, unlikely for there to be anything reasonable that can be done to fix it. Just hope they fill out.

Here is another photo from another angle.
I didn't think they could be straightened, but I was wondering if they need to be removed before they become an unmanageable size and fall over?

Given the space they are in... they already appear to be "unmanageable".

Yeah, that is just your call really. When YOU can't deal with the issues of how close they are to the fence and walking area, that's when they've become unmanageable.

+oM

By unmanagable, I meant growing to a massive size that would do damage if it fell and also becoming super-expensive to remove when over a certain size.
I suppose they can just be trimmed yearly to stay at around the current size so I won't need to worry about them growing to 50 feet tall in another 10 years and then falling over.

get rid of them ..

do you happen to know.. how long they have been there .. and were the fence.. pavers and stone added after ...??? its almost like a parking lot was added above their root zone

that is a significant change in the culture of mature trees ... and will probably have a long term effect on their decline ...

i TOTALLY agree... get them out of there.. before you have to pay money to have it done ...

i have seen some exceptional hanging potted gardens ... if you need some greenery in that corner ...

is that your whole garden???

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

Meh....them being junipers, they'll probably tolerate that spot for years to come. And also being junipers, they will never get what I would call really large. I'm talking even in twenty years, their removal, should it become necessary, would not be terribly difficult. In fact, downright easy. But they are just so close to that fence. Their trunk expansion alone is going to impinge on the fence, and vice versa, in a matter of time.

But even that won't happen in such manner as to catch you by surprise. If leaving them there for a few more years benefits you and your situation in some way, that could be acceptable.

+oM

So, won't trimming the height prevent the trunks from getting much thicker? It seems like the trunk would get wider to support more height and if it isn't allowed to get much taller, it would no need to get thicker.
I have never seen a tree like this that was trimmed to stay low, but still grew a fat trunk.

I don't know about that, jax. The way trees grow, it's as if a new tree grows around the old tree each growing season, like stacked cones. Some increase in girth is going to happen if they grow at all. Plus, cutting the tops will cause the trees to respond by trying to make new branches/leaders, so net growth may not be reduced at all by topping them.

+oM

jaxo,
Cut them down now.
Please dono't take this as an insult, but
they don't look good there at all. They look
out of place to me.
They aren't going to do well with all that
stuff all over their roots anyway, and then
they will look out of place and really ugly too.
Plant something that won't get too big, like the cute
little conifer you already planted on the side of them.
That would look nice.

They are too small for that space. If (big if) you were willing to shear them into a hedge form, you might be able to keep them. Otherwise, I tend to agree, probably best to agree.

Er, best to remove. Too tired. LOL

I think I will replace them with Thuja Eneral Green plants that look like this photo.

{{gwi:405737}}

Should these be better?
I may get 5 gallon size. How tall should a 5 gallon Thuja be and how long would it normally take to reach the size in the photo from a 5 gallon planting?

took a year off?? ... lol

look at Thuja Occ De Groots spire..

if trained young.. to SINGLE LEADER.... they can be kept at around one foot wide ...

those in the picture are already nearing 3 feet wide near the bottom ... and you only have a one foot planting area ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:405736}}

The planting area is not quite as small as the photo may make it appear.
I went out and measured and at the most narrow point, there is about 33 inches of space.
So, even if they grew to a full 36 inches at the base, it would just hang over 3 inches if it was planted dead center. If they were planted a bit closer to the edge to ensure they never hit the fence they should still only extend into the hardscape a few inches at full size,
Can't the bases just be trimmed back if they grow a few inches too wide?
Also, there is plenty of space to walk by, so even if the growth of branches extended several inches over the hardscape at the base, it would not cause a problem.

I want plantings that will grow in a way that will add a little bit more privacy..
If we get super narrow plants with big gaps of space between them, that will defeat the purpose.