It wouldn’t let me add a photo so I’ll add it to here in comment!

Even though the roots are starting to push the rocks, that does not mean they are overcrowded or dying. They look healthy to me, and have been planted the proper distance apart.

Which ones aren't doing well? In a hedge like this some will be taller and some shorter. I have a hedge of these too, and some are shorter and less thick. That's just nature for you. I don't see any road rash problems - please post a better picture.

You cannot transplant them. The roots are twined and you will kill the one you remove and the ones beside it too.

Don't add soil on top of them. You can damage the roots by burying them too deep. Also, soil should not be piled up against the bark of the trunk because it will damage the bark due to rot and moisture.

What is a tangled mess of roots? Grass roots or hedge roots? How many inches of soil have you added over the years?

We can't see the road rash you are referring to. Can you send a pic of that?

I'm thinking some really cool "planter box" could be built around all 4 sides of the wall of trees - then filled in with nutrient rich mulch/dirt.

what is the style of your home - send pic of that too plz.

You can very easily kill this hedge if you fill in over the existing roots with soil or mulch.

Really? I didn't know that!

Yup.

You can't bury the root crown or root flare of any tree. It will kill it. Actually, the tree will commit suicide. Roots will grow in the soil where they shouldn't be and girdle the tree, cutting off the flow of sap. That also happens lots (commonly in malls and office parks) where the 'landscapers' pile mulch volcanos around the tree trunk; the roots grow through that too. As soon as you see the bark splitting vertically, the tree's a goner.

Tatts is correct. Here's an article with pictures if anyone is interested. http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/pests-and-problems/environmental/girdling.aspx

People sometimes think that the flare roots of a tree should be covered, but they should be showing. The first picture shows a properly planted tree. The second one is planted too deep, and bad things are happening underground.

Take a look a the stems to be sure they look OK. If you need to scrape away soil or mulch to get down to where the roots begin, then you need to remove it to expose the full stem.

What do you want to see growing over the roots of the cedar, or do you see it as just bare soil? Is there already grass there or is it weedy? When you weed, be sure the soil is very wet to avoid disturbing the cedar roots.

These can get very tall and dangerous. To be sure that you don't have a big liability later when it falls on something, keep it at a good height for you. If it is the right height now, you could snip off the top 6 inches and just keep cutting it at that height every few years.

My son has a hedge that is way too tall, and we wish someone had given it a little snip when they were the size of your shrubs. Now it's an expensive proposition.

Tall and dangerous?? Not at all!! These types of arborvitae (very likely Thuja occidentalis 'Smaragd', the most widely sold and planted tree/shrub in the US) never get very tall.....15-20' max. And in all my years of landscape design and professional gardening, I have never seen them "fall".

So gardengal how would suggest making this eyesore prettier? Inquiring minds want to know.

Is my idea to box it out, but don't cover the roots, a bad one?

Ty!

Why is this an "eyesore"? Other than the area is generally messy looking and unkempt......but that is not due to the arbs. The owner or tenant just needs to get rid of the grass and weeds, tidy up and/or repair the rock border and apply a layer of mulch.

And yes, boxing in or raising the soil level around any existing tree is like executing a death sentence to that tree. And what's the point of boxing it in if not to fill with soil? Do you think a wooden box would look any better?? Wouldn't last very long in the PNW and would need to be replaced after a few years.

Just an FYI, but one can find similar plantings of arborvitaes used for screening or hedging on virtually every single residential street in Seattle :-))

Instead of boxing in the arborvitate, how about just putting up some big box shaped planters in front of the arborvitae? But I agree, it looks fine and isn't broken.

My neighbor had a very old hedge of cedar that came down in a high wind. Maybe that's not common. If the OP doesn't want a 20 foot hedge to deal with, then they should be trimmed whenever they are the desired height.

If you think a cedar hedge is ugly, try topping off one. If it even lives long-term. Surest way I know to get them to start to have problems and split, perhaps with one of the splits toppling. If you don't like cedars for your hedge, take them out. Otherwise work around. They are what they are, and conifers cannot be pruned for height and survive long term, with the exception of yews.

That's not precisely true ;-) Many conifers will resent that sort of attention but arborvitaes and Leylands (and Taxus) can be successfully pruned into tight, dense and relatively short hedges.

Splitting or bowing out can and often does happen regardless of them being trimmed or topped off. The branching structure on these is very vertical and they easily catch and hold snow loads. It is the snow loads that will splay out the branches, not being cut off.

And they are not really cedars at all :-) True cedars belong to an entirely different genus.

You can trim and shape the growing tip of an arborvitae that's the right height, to keep it short. I agree that you don't want to cut off the top third or something, when it has already gotten too tall.

Excuse me for quick using the common name! Good luck on topping that hedge.

Definitely 'Smaragd'. You can put in better, more firmly constructed low wall(s) to retain mulch without causing the crowns to be buried. Maybe even just using some rocks or concrete blocks.

I still don't see any problem with these shrubs. I wouldn't mess with the roots of established shrubs.

pull up and reset the stone so it looks pretty [dont do much other than move them around a bit] .... ... then add a layer of mulch ... and then be happy ...

do not move them.. if you want others elsewhere.. buy more ... they are too big to move.. plus you might severely impact both those you move.. and those you leaves ...

ken

Where's the OP?

OP, could you tell me how far apart they're planted? It looks like 5ft apart to me. I'm going to be planting similar Arborvitae soon, and I think yours are perfectly planted apart.

More likely to be 3'. That is the standard spacing recommended if planting a solid hedge of 'Smaragd' arborvitae. They only get 3-4' wide at maturity.

Hi Gardengal. Thank you for responding! I asked because I'm going to be planting Polar Gold Thuja in about 4 weeks. and I want them to look just like in the Op's picture.

They get wider than the 'Smaragd's do so spacing would be different. If you want them touching when mature, then space them at their predicted spread or slightly less.

I will definitely do that. Thank you!

Great looking hedge, maybe consider moving the edge of the planter 6-10" into the drive. There is a mixture of different material being used for edging, consider removing and replacing with one consistent material. Possibly 2" thick bluestone edging. Pour a 6" width of concrete at the base of the edging to reduce the outward movement of the edging over time. Backfill with loam to existing grade. Plant the entire bed with vinca minor if you don't like mulch. Clean out existing weeds in drive. It will give the arbs slightly more space to expand their roots while allowing for a car door to open over the top of the bluestone edging.

The trees look fine. Keep in mind they are a noise barrier providing shade and privacy. You could use a well built small retaining wall of sorts. I don't see a quick fix outside of a clean up. I'd leave the trees alone....

@partim and @gardengal48 and others

Hi there. Thank you for all of the comments. I really appreciate them. Here are a few better pictures of the trees. The road rash that I am talking about is the ability to see through them now. On the road side that abuts the busy street. Over the years, I have added just a few inches of mulch not touching each of the trunks. Just to clarify, I’ve planted 40 of these same arborvitaes at a friends house, and we haven’t lost one, there. My main concern here at my house, is the fact that they are looking worn and tired! Not symmetrical for my ocd eyes ha! And the reason why I haven’t cleaned them up, is because when I have tried to weed them, I get a bunch of roots up with the weeds as well! Hard to just do a quick weed job on them! Passers by seem to think they are there to throw stuff into, so I’m constantly picking crap out of the base of them!

My main concern was the looks of them like I said, but also the fact that the base of the retaining wall is getting pushed aside and out from the looks of it. And roots are showing from that side. The rocks are starting to ease their way loose. Hope this helps! All the advice is so appreciated!!

@ilovemytrees I planted thuja’s at my friends house and we planted them spaced with 2’ centers! And they are doing great!

Bradi, if they're emerald greens that seems awfully close. Here's a handful I planted at my house.

I’m sorry it’s been like 3-4 years since we planted them, I forgot! It was 4’ Center to Center. They were the emerald greens yes. That was the closest we could put them, they were 8’ tall when we got them and they’re still doing great planted at that height. So it’s depressing to come back home after seeing hers all nice and full, to my crappy trees! Ha!

@charlesearlarchitecturellc thank you for that advice! I think I’ll be doing that sooner than later! Thanks everyone for your advice and input! I love houzz for this!!

@alley_cat_gw btw, those look awesome and your bed looks amazing as well! Great job!

@alley_cat_gw Wow that looks so good. What are the other things you planted in there?

Hi Kaleb, Just maples and conifers.

Thanks