Tree at left side (both first and last pic) are too close to house and need to be removed. If it remains, the tree at right side will eventually need to be limbed up like a regular tree, in order to be in that small yard (as it's planning on overrunning the walks and consuming the right half of the yard.)

I agree I just needed to hear it from a landscaper pro. What does limbed up mean? What about the bushes in the right side beside sidewalk and driveway should they be removed and grassed to the edge or do you have another suggestion?

If you are talking about cutting the bottom branches off of the lilac that would be a mistake ("trimming up" sounds like the same thing as "limbing up", with "up" being the key term - with the bottom half of the specimen being scalped so as to "raise" the crown visually).

Otherwise anywhere you have a conifer (juniper, spruce etc.) that is now bulging out of its designated space you are pretty much stuck with cutting it down or digging it up and moving it elsewhere if small enough.

I do not agree with shrubs penning in walks and stoops, so would remove the one at the right front corner of stoop. Looks like you can keep the back shrub confined by trimming.

At the left side of house, with low windows, there is no space for plants with height. Just low mat groundcover/perennial type plants.

"Limbing up" means removing lower limbs to expose a clear trunk ... deleting lower limbs.

My fence is 6' high behind the hedge on the right. How tall should I trim the hedge down too and should I make 3 or 2 tiers of just straight across?

Show the hedge from a viewpoint that explains why there is a hedge. And show the fence.

Ok I will post pictures this aft when I get home.

When I decide to cut the huge spruce down how do I go about it without hiring someone and how do I get rid of the stump and all the roots

Ok but it will cost a fortune

Here is the photo of the 6' fence and the hedge coming from it. The hedge is on my property but just, it divides my yard from my neighbours. It runs down to the front sidewalk.

Here is another pic straight on the hedge from the front sidewalk.

Here is a picture of my back yard. I've taken it in 3 pics from the right fence to the left. I will be digging the weeds out but am wondering what you think of the grouping of different species of bushes? To me it looks wrong across the back fence. Short dogwoods on left side of the flowering plum tree and then the much taller two bushes on the right side. I do like the three columnar spruces in the right corner of the fence. There's also a blank area between the corner spruces and the apple tree. Should I end the flower bed at the end of the grouping of three spruces and let the apple tree stand alone instead of ending the bed after the tree. also don't like the tall bushes at the side of the shed. It looks like a big clump to me. Do you? I'm open to all advice and suggestions.

The shrubs are not well planned out or maintained. Most are overgrown. I personally don’t see any logic or purpose to the placement of most of them.

I agree Ny suggestions

Not sure I understand. You have not mentioned location of direction the house faces. Is this the tree you wish to remove?

It doe not seem dangerously close to the house. Is your reason that it is blocking the view of the house? If so you could hire someone to raise the canopy.

You have other conifers planted in locations that are not suitable. They are small enough to survive a transplant. Wait for cooler weather.

As to the hedge, it is up to you what height you keep it at. When given a choice I prefer to look at greenery over looking at a fence. I would trim it to the top of the fence. Where I live six foot fences are not allowed close to the street. Does your fence gradually get lower?

"Raising the canopy" is a misnomer on a conifer and simply mutilates the plant.

The front of the house faces north and the spruce blocks the view of the house. The front of the spruce is at the main sidewalk, next year it will be hanging over the sidewalk where the public walks. Do you agree the spruce tree on the left side is poorly placed and blocking the view of the house too and should also be removed.

No my fence doesn't gradually get lower it is from East to west 4', back about 5' from the front corner of the right side of the house and the hedge runs south to north up to the main sidewalk. I believe it was planted there before I bought the place to separate my yard from the neighbours.

A good way to see what you're in for on tree removal is to watch YouTube videos on that subject. Be sure to see the "fails" too, in order to know what can go wrong. The tree is large enough to cause damage if things go wrong. In order to remove the stump, you'd need to have it ground out by a professional since it takes large equipment that you're not going to want to learn to use for one stump.

The hedge is overgrown enough that it's going to require a power hedge trimmer. Be sure to slope the sides so that sunlight can get all the way to the bottom of the hedge. If the bottom is shaded out by the top, its foliage will die off.

I can't see things in the back yard well enough to tell what's up, except by the side of the shed, a large plant is planted much too close to it.

Your a huge help thank you. Would it look nicer if I were to remove that hedge all together beside the shed. I'm open to ideas on whether to let the grass grow up to the shed at the side and front or plant something else.

How wide is a good width for the top of the hedge at the front right side.

on this Iknow nothing about

Insofar as hedge thickness, you kind of have to go based on a combination of the hedge itself, its surroundings, and your goals for it. But on average, the top might be in the neighborhood of 3' thickness or a little more, and the bottom closer to 4' or a little more.

If it were me, I'd prefer a foundation planting scheme around the shed, but it would not include a giant shrub jammed too close to it.

Would you go low lying plants or 4' shrubs around the shed. Would you make them all the same plant?

I would probably have a small tree set a few feet from the shed wall, groundcover below, and some small plants at a few other spaces.

What would you use as ground cover

Could the apple tree from the other side beside the fence be moved there?

I would want a small tree ... probably made of a large shrub. (What's planted at the shed now would probably work, but it's planted too close to the wall.) I don't know where you are, Google "ground covers for (your zone)."

Calgary, AB, Canada

Hi Yardvark, it's been along time since I've been on this site but am now back and ready to make the changes. You said you would probably do a foundation planting around the shed and a small tree or bush out from the shed at the side. Can you please send me a diagram of what your envisioning for a foundation planting. I can't go any taller than 6' and at the moment the bed only comes out 36" depth. It's North facing at the front of the shed and west facing at the side. I'm in zone 3 Airdrie, AB, Canada.

What would you use as ground cover