Wow , weird growth ! Just cut that off in the plant , then go around the whole thing with hedge shears ,

that is dwarf , the species grows 2ft. a year

ron

And should I take off the leader stem to contain height?

debra

Yes

Ron, you sure it is dwarf? if it grows 2’ a year that could be a mighty big shrub. DJacob, I’ve seen very large specimens. Have you a place to move it while it is still a manageable size? Im sure you have experience with keeping up a pruning regimen for a plant that is the ”wrong plant in the wrong place”

'Golden Mop' is a true dwarf, with an annual growth rate of around 2 inches. 'Filifera Aurea', of which it is a sport, has an annual growth rate of only 6-8 inches so considered an intermediate grower. The straight species, C. pisifera, is a moderate grower, eventually reaching as much as 30-50 feet. It is important to understand that determining the classification of a conifer as "dwarf" relates only to the rate of growth, not ultimate size. Should it live long enough, it is possible for a dwarf conifer to exceed any listed size. Possible......but not very likely. Golden Mop is typically is in the 3-5' range at maturity.

It is also not uncommon for dwarfs to produce some long, leggy, uncharacteristic growth from time to time, exactly what the OP's photo shows. Just snip these off.

Marie, I have had that pruning experience, but not with a conifer. I will do as suggested and snip back to the desired size. I am very fond of this conifer so I won’t do anything drastic.

Thanks to everyone for their input.

debra

Marie , I said the species grows 2 ft. a year,,as Gal says this grows 4" to 6

Debra , My neighbor has one that's over 10 yrs & over 6 ft

ron

I didn’t go crazy cutting back, so here’s a photo now:

debra

Good job. Looks natural rather than blobby.

I thought mine was a dwarf. It is now 12’ with no sign of slowing down.

Uh, oh!

debra

Yes , you might want to plan a move.

Kit ,can we see a pic ?

In that location, I think the plant needs to be kept low. Remove the vigorous leader.