Sorry no significant sprouting of replacement branches from the now bare trunk sections is ever going to occur. (Significant as in every branch that was sawed off throughout the hedge comes all the way back in a short period of time). Also the entire top of each tree was presenting all of the issues you complained of, and not just the lowest branches. So needles, cones, sap, mess, sunlight, real estate - all still in the picture. And the replacement(?) hedge consisting of arborvitaes is going to do the same things, once big enough. In fact it would seem the small cones of that kind will be more likely to get sucked into the pool filtration system that those of the spruces. With it being too bad that you did not read or have it pointed out that you do not want any kinds of plants with small parts located near swimming pools. Before you put yours under the neighbor's(?) conifer hedge.

I'd agree that it actually looks OK, but I understand that it's different from what you were used to. It will look more familiar over time.

I think that the first picture looks absolutely gorgeous. :-)

Those Thuja should enjoy the increased sunlight also and grow better.

The tree trash problem won't go away but maybe you can get a filter system that will handle larger size and quantity of material. A pool cover might help also.

Large textured material is not the problem with swimming pool filters, it is small bits. Hence the recurring recommendations to plant large-leaved plants like bananas and palms near swimming pools.

Thanks Embothrium. I didn't know that.

My sons pool system doesn't seem to be bothered by the smaller stuff. They just have to clean the filter often. They also use a floating pool cover when not using the pool, so all the matter sits on top of the cover until they roll it off to one end.

Should I tell my son to plant bananas and palms? His place is north of Brainerd MN. ;-)

They just have to clean the filter often

And therein lies the problem.

Yes: lists provided for planting near pools tend to be heavy on subtropicals. With the "tropicalissimo" look being achieved in northern climates through the selection and planting of large-leaved plants. Because this feature is so dominant among plants chosen for landscaping in frost free climates. Even though many species native to tropical forests actually do not have oversized leaves.

Thanks, Embo,

We're kind of 'out of luck' up here trying to find large leaf trees that don't litter but I suppose deciduous trees that don't litter too bad during mid-summer would do the trick.

The floating pool cover does keep the amount of litter down, considerably that the filter has to deal with.

Again the repeatedly stated idea is that it is preferable for spent plant parts floating on uncovered swimming pools to be too big to get sucked into pool filtration systems. That being able to collect them without them having gone into the filter beforehand is a plus.

What have your neighbors said??

As Bill stated a pool cover is almost a necessity. I know my brother's pool cover is when the swimming season is over, and even in the summer when they go away.

We have an automatic pool cover but it gets covered in sap and acorns everyday and takes a while to clean. If we get rain on top of that it clogs the pump removing water from pool cover. If its not all properly cleaned the automatic pool cover gets stuck and service calls are very expensive. That is not my concern, I wish I never cut the trees. I feel guilty that I hurt them and have all this bad karma now. If I could, I would plant Norway Spruces along there to make up for hurting them. The white cedars will never grow tall enough to fill the gap! The branches were cut too high. The neighbours didnt say anything because the law allows you to cut any branches falling on your property as long as 30% of tree branches are left.

These are current pics!

I'm not a tree expert and I certainly have seen people limb trees before, but never that much. Will the trees be able to survive having so much of their greenery removed? I hope it doesn't kill them.

Again I ask, what of the neighbors whose trees you have butchered? My first thought would be to offer them the most profuse apology and confer on how to move forward.

The arborvitaes are in fact going to grow up to cover the spruce trunks, if kept healthy enough in that presumably tough planting site directly beneath them. The problem is that it is going to take your new hedge a long time to get as high as your pruning of the spruces reaches.

Thuja occidentalis - Wikipedia

Thank you for this! I know it will take long. Never should have cut them that high.

We cut the trees when the house behind was for sale so the old neighbours left and didnt care. Still though, it was a horrible decision for the trees.

Once the arborvitae hedge looks tall enough to everyone involved the neighbors present at that time might be open to having the spruces cut down entirely. If this turns out to be the case offer to cover the cost yourself. Unless it appears they already had their own complaints about this planting before you approached them. In which case they would possibly agree to splitting the charges 50/50. In the meantime it could be 20 years or more before the Thuja appear able to take over, depending on associated individual perceptions - a hedge or screen often does not have to be fully as tall as an unwanted background in order to provide sufficient relief. And in your first shot their house is well on its way to disappearing - if your own planting only has to get a few feet taller to do the job then the ability to dispense with the spruces will come a lot sooner.

Go for a walk in the spruce forest if you have one nearby. Pay attention to where the lowest green branches begin on forest trees that closely spaced. The spruce trees will be fine and could outlive you if they are not cut down. That would be bad karma.

Ivana's situation is not a forest. She does not like how the fully visible bare trunks of the pruned spruces look and because she tucked her pool in underneath them all the stuff they drop is a continuous maintenance problem for her.

First if you have trees near your pool there is going to be tree litter. The difference is the degree.

I do not have a pool, and never intend to get one, but have worked with filtration system. One solution to your problem would be a secondary filter to remove most of the small to large material be for it gets to the find filter on the pool pump. You also could look at a self cleaning filter for these large particle filters. What ever way you go there is going to be a cost. You must compare one against the other a pool cover or improved filtration system.

That is true. The point is the trees will be fine. Besides, there is nothing ugly about a lot of clear trunk on a tree. It is kind of normal.

Bare trunk trees appear in forests, not exposed enfilades. The intention of their planting was doubtless to screen the OPs house. The fact that the ownership changed was a lucky break, but the point is that the treatment of boundaries is best decided jointly.

We all can get a bit overly ambitious from time to time to later regret the actions. I went and cleared a large section of my acreage forest with the intention to seed into lawn, mmmm as soon as all had been clear cut, I had despised and still hate the look of that area :(

Yes, just a bit toooo high limbed up. Now, I don't know about Norway spruce, but some types of spruce such as blue spruce can at times regenerate somewhat from dormant buds at the base of the branch collars, even if your trees ended up doing somewhat, it would in years to come soften the look, not saying it's gonna happen though!

Ivana, you are suffering from what is known as ”Sawyer’s Remorse”.

tj