mine are well spaced specimen plants.. that have never had a haircut ...

what is the situation of yours ... that they need such .... in other words.. whats is your goal ..

once you ID the goal.. then you can begin to understand how and when to shear .... or prune .... they are different ideas ...

a pic will get you much more specific info ... and if not that.. more info.. is this a hedge.. too close to the house.. taking over a walkway.. etc ...

ken

How's this pic? So I want to keep the globe cedars neat and tidy b/c that's how we found them (and what else can you do with them?!) when we bought 2.5 years ago and I'd like to keep the junipers' growth in check (so not symmetrical) so that our upper window doesn't get blocked out. Do the yellow junipers in the foreground need different attention/care?

Thanks!

The yellow juniper, if left alone, will eventually cover the whole area. It's already been pruned or sheared hard.

there's a 3rd globe.. you cant see it.. beyond the big juniper... i want to control the juniper more than anything so I will need to clip the top so my window view doesnt start to be obstructed too.. lower window i'm fine with b/c I dont want to rip out these bushes... I actually dont think its overcrowded as Ontario_Can suggests... I like that they grew into each other...

So again, if I am going to prune/shear when is the best time?

My climate allows me to prune almost any time I have the right tool in my hands. When they are growing is usually the best time.

There's the "best" time, then there's the time you get around to shearing them. For the most part, as long as you are shearing to maintain shape, you do it when you do it and that's the time you do it. the plants will deal with it. better than we deal with just talking about it.

but dude...or dudette...you gots to take a look at whats you got...which is a lot of plants smushed into a shoebox...if it were me, i'd take the offending juniper out, but then you'll be looking at the browned out backside of an arb. IF you are lucky, the arbs in question are Danica, Hetz Midget, or something similar. if not...that's the problem with small plants...people always feel they need more.

(and what else can you do with them?!

==>>> overly planted.. overly mature ... make a plan to get rid of them ... especially the J that is near breaking in that window above ... [the one between the two globes ...]...

they were spaced rather well.. for the one foot plants that were probably planted 10 or 20 years ago ... but hey.. trees never really stop growing .... so eventually.. even when pruned.. they do end up too big ... and my definition of such.. is when they are scraping the house ...

prune your brains out.. but i am planting a seed of removal .. in the next few years ... they answered the timing issue above ...

ken

Let the new growth push out and harden off in the spring. Late spring, early summer shear and shape. If you feel like it touch them up again in the fall.

Al

i appreciate the advice but for now, I have MUCH bigger landscaping issues to deal with, like this mess in my backyard at the back and right side of the property.

and the big blue clump behind the white birch is a felled colorado spruce!

Did you see the size of the Globe Arborvitae in the post about Emeralds? There is no way you will be able to shear or prune them and keep em' looking good where they're at. That whole area in the front is overplanted.

If it were me, I'd start over with a clean slate,make the bed larger, and plant a more creative design.

i understand you have priorities ... we all do ..

that is why i planted a seed of future thought ...

your yard doesnt look that bad.. a simple fix is to perfect the lawn to some extent ... though i suspect you arent going to be able to irrigate it. and short of lots of dough .. fert is out of the question ... in my world anyway ...

growing grass without heavy watering.. involves very early soil prep and seed application.. so its 6 to 8 weeks old by the heat of summer .. and then perhaps some sporadic watering if severe drought ... even better if you do it in early fall ...

and i would work n the fence line on the right ... not planting right along it.. but making it disappear.. with some shrubs that will soften the straight line ... which draws the eye.. and distracts it from the rest of the yard ... note on the left.. there is no straight line ... and that is why it seems more finished.. i know there is a fence over there.. but the effect is not so stark ...

out front.. at a min.. get rid of the upright between the two globes ... imo

ken

ken, the fence line on the right of the pic is exactly what I am going to address this spring! I plan on planting three shrub varieties; amelanchier (maybe a 3 varieties of alnifolia to create an edible component and a decent shrubs of varying size like "northlines" "smokys", etc), a grouping of cornus alba aurea (apparently great color all 4 seasons) and physocarpus opulifolius monlo for a hardy, reliable contrasting shrub. I have close to 100' to work with down that right line...the very back (close to shed) gets seasonably wet in spring so i figure the dogwoods can go there (also the least amount of sunlight hours - about 5 or 6 hours). Along that back fence is where I intend to plant a few arborvitae to improve privacy and some other shrub. The look I am going for is a more "native", naturalistic setting... Plant as much native as possible... and that ugly bed (in front of the shed) is where I intend to mix in a some shrubs like chokeberries, and maybe another amelanchier alongside some of the existing perennials (there is a persicaria polymorpha there now)

I am concerned that this bed might be too much.. I know that over-planting is common problem and that I might overdo it in that bed in fron of the shed if I am not careful. I just hope the scale of shrubs like black chokeberry and persicaria polymorpha aren't overwhelming

what's summer humidity?

fairly high most years... especially june/july.. we get the heat from the gulf when the hot spells hit and we are surround by the Great Lakes

I'd talk to locals...amelanchier can be a cussed thing if environment/climate is not right...you'd likely be better off with vaccinium.

My soil is alkaline -

and i see quite a few amelanchier being plated around here these days... they seem to be doing ok