How big is too big?

I have one planted as a tiny baby in '08 and it's about nine feet tall right now and perhaps six or seven wide.

These plants march to their own drummer and won't necessarily fill a spot the way one envisions. I like them set out far enough that they can do whatever they want without issue, and you can see it all.

And don't plant anything so close to the house that you can't walk behind it- sooner or later you will need to do something to the siding or a window or a roof. Keep them out far enough that rain will hit them and so no pests have easy access to the house.

How big is your house?

they are trees.. and they are conifers.. but technically they are not shrubs ... though i understand thats a commonly used term ...

i tell you that so as you increase your knowledge base. you will be able to hone in ..

also;.. when researching conifers.. using the latin name really helps ...

looking at the link ... you should either plant it 8 to 10 feet from the house.. or be prepared to learn how to properly prune it for shape and form ...

if you ask in the conifer forum.. you might find dwarf.. or slower growing versions ..

no clue if they can grow happily in houston ...

ken

https://www.google.com/search?q=Juniperus+chinensis+%27Torulosa%27.&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiM5ZP3_J3PAhUB04MKHUGzCKcQ_AUICCgB&biw=958&bih=745&dpr=0.9

'....learn how to properly prune it for shape and form...'.

You don't really prune Twisted Hollywood Junipers as that defeats the purpose of growing them. You grow them for their tortuous form, which is undermined when you prune them.

Otherwise, plant something else.

The space I had in mind is only about 4-5 ft from the house. The rapid, unpredictable growth, pretty much tells me that despite how awesome it is, it would not be a good fit. It's a shame. So many people around me who have them have them right up against the house, and I love the look, but I've also seen them grown along street medians, and they are huge there. Maybe I'll just stick with blue point, they are not as interesting, but they grow much slimmer.

I am not really a juniper fan but I sure do like a well grown Hollywood!! I don't think a "foundation" planting in the traditional sense is a good location. As noted by the first poster, these get big and that size and dramatic form really need some space to be admired properly. You could plant it somewhat close - they do not have aggressive roots - but somewhere where it can grow unobstructed. And unpruned!! Any pruning would only ruin that up-swept, flame-like growth habit.

or be prepared to learn how to properly prune it for shape and form ...

vs

You don't really prune Twisted Hollywood Junipers as that defeats the purpose of growing them.

==>>> i said prune.. not shear ...

pruning for artistic form.. while guiding it into a certain shape has been done by the Japanese for centuries .. and in no way should it impact to bizarreness of the plant.. properly done ...

btw. i have one.. on my 5 acres.. its about 150 feet from the house.. lol ...

the simple answer is... buy small.. enjoy it for 10 years.. remove it when it doesnt make you happy .. though what usually happens is that you move.. and leave a nightmare for a tree hugging hippie who doesnt want to remove the problem .. lol ...

ken

Conventionally foundation shrubs are low kinds that hide exposed foundations. This* isn't even a shrub. For instance an example near San Jose had reached 95 ft. high by 1967 and another, in Berkeley was 45 ft. high in 1989 (California is where it came onto the continent from Japan, with a nursery in Oakland listing it by 1890).

*More than one, uni-sexual cultivar is grown, with the common version being a bright green female form.

I do think that this would be a bit large for a foundation planting. Maybe another shrub, like golden mop cypress or nandina.