Only one thing to do now - complete removal. Well, actually, there was only one thing to do anyway. Those were planted way too close to the house in the first place.

They look like yew so they can grow back. Was the bush in the middle the same as the two on the ends? But they are planted too close to the house, so at this point I would recommend you rip them out and start over even if you replant a shorter yew selection.

Why do people think it is acceptable to plant a big bush 6 inches away from the house?

Yeah, complete removal might be for best. The center bush is toast, the one on the right will be by the time enough is taken off the top to make the window accessible for replacing, and the one on the left might be salvageable, but looks like it probably has a cut out spot on one side that won't recover.

Seems like a bummer, but it will give you a chance to refresh and plant a better distance away from the house with new plantings.

The bush in the middle WAS cedar... what a mess.

Oh I don’t think it’s a mess. Those things needed to be gone anyway.

When you are ready to plant new shrubs, just be sure their trunks are AT LEAST 3 feet from the house. Four or five feet is even better.

The cedar is toast. It will not grow back.

Cutting down to 3' would be OK for the yews although they would look pretty nasty for awhile. But there is no way you can have a cedar of whatever description hacked down to 3' and expect it to recover or even survive!

People plant large growing trees and shrubs too close to houses because they are unfamiliar with the plants and have no idea that tiny little nursery start will ever get that big. Or they know and plan to keep on top of pruning and regular maintenance but forget or wait too long or move..........Or they are planted by developers who don't care at all but just want to floof up the place to sell.

Finish the job by removing what remains of all three. None of them are overly desirable shrubs....more the kind of mindless selections most developers favor because they are cheap and widely available. After the windows and residing is completed. enlarge and improve that planting area and replace with more size appropriate shrubbery of your choice from what's on offer at local garden centers. And be sure to allow for adequate spacing and proper siting based on the estimated mature size (easy to find online).

Generally, you do not want to site any shrubs closer to the foundation than half their mature spread. So a shrub that will eventually become 5' wide needs at least 2.5' clearance from the structure and best to allow an additional 12-18 inches to provide free access to both the shrub and the structure for any maintenance requirements.

And I forgot to say that whomever you got to help you with the pruning........don't let them help you again :-) They have NO CLUE about what they were doing!!

Re plants and siding work, there are plant wraps available. Sort of a straight jacket, the ones used on my property looked similar to an old fashioned girdle with the lacing that is pulled tight.

Take all three out and start fresh. Remove the rocks too and put down fresh mulch.

Most plants will grow back. I'd wait a few months and see what happens.

Most conifers do not grow back....especially when they have been taken down to bare wood. Yews are the exception but grow so slowly that it could take several years before it looked decent again. If one is willing to have three eyesores in their front garden indefinitely, then by all means go ahead and wait. But the middle one will NEVER regrow!!

I might wait too....about as long as it would take for me to find a Sawzall to finish the job. 😁

How close can you plant perennials to the foundation?

When planting anything next to a foundation, here’s a general rule. Check the MATURE width of the plant/shrub and plant it so that when its full grown that there’s still at least 1 foot of empty space between it and the house. Example: if a shrub will be 5’ wide at maturity, plant its truck (which will be in the middle of the mature shrub) 3.5‘ from the foundation. (Half of 5’ is 2.5’. Add 1’ for empty space. 2.5’ + 1’ = 3.5’.)

Here’s another general checkpoint: don‘t plant anything so close to the house so that it’s under the eaves of the roof.

I have ugly arborvitae in front as well. They are toooo tall and waaaay overgrown. I am looking to remove them.

debra

this is a much better look than what was here when I moved in..

Except there is little height variation. Save for the single Japanese maple sticking out by itself at the back that is going to be touching the house and blocking the window after enough years pass.

Have you ever paid attention to nicholsworth garden? I don't think height variation is a problem here.

March 31..the hellebores are blooming..I clipped off the old leaves..looks a little bare at the moment..

Embothrium..I wish I had a before pic..my neighbors would disagree with you that it doesn't look better..the bed is "flat"..but I have tall trees across from it..I don't like laceleaf/threadleaf Japanese maples..there's a funny angle in the pic but there is no window behind the maple..it was an impulse buy..a bargain that we centered on the wall between the windows..I prefer taller upright Japanese maples..it's coming out when we can get to it..then the entire bed will be short (ok by me)..I appreciate your input..

Christopher..thanks for your support..I have plants of all heights..especially tall..height in both front and back..

my shrubs aren't leafed out so the medium heights don't show..

Looking good, Nichol! My hellebores are also putting on a show right now.

indianagardenegirl..your hellebores are beautiful!..don't you love all of the hellebore seedlings?..🙂