Hi! I am moving to a new house and the previous resident didn't prune any of the spreading junipers (or maybe they are yews...). They are extremely overgrown.

Can I prune these back now? Or is it too late in the season? The house is in the Hudson Valley, NY. Zone 6.

I'm hoping I can do some judicious shaping now (if only to walk to my front door without getting scratched by the branches) and then prune it back more in the fall.

Any suggestions?

Many junipersyews will not regenerate new growth if cut back beyond the current green growth (which is usually at the ends of the branches).

For that reason, if the previous owner neglected to keep the junipers shaped/pruned all along, your only choice now is to remove the shrubs and start over.

I would suggest you find out for sure what you have? A local full service nursery should be able to help from a six inch cutting or so.

Yews can be severely cut back and will produce new growth on bare wood. We have safely cut back a third of the bush size in a year, it did not look so great that first year, but regrowth made them thick/full bushes a year or two later.

Certain juniper varieties are better at regrowth from trimming and damage than others also.

Yews are easy to prune. They have a flush of spring growth and another in late summer, so timing of pruning is after the new growth in order to keep the yews tidy. Of course, you can touch up at any time.

Yews can be pruned back hard if overgrown. Recovery is slow, but they will eventually set new buds. If you cut back to a bunch of small branches, it will likely take a couple years or so for shrub to recover.

For close-up picture:

http://www.backyardnature.net/yew.htm

Unlike the yew, junipers do not produce buds on old wood. Thus they do not respond well to drastic pruning. They require regular pruning to maintain at desired height and width. Pruning is best done in spring before bud break. Selective thinning of dead or overgrown branches is recommended. They develop a dead zone in the middle due to insufficient light. If junipers become overgrown, it's best to replace them.

There are many varieties of junipers with different growth patterns. Here's some pruning tips: 2520pruning.pdf&w=pruning+junipers+juniper&d=QG6GYzWxQnEj&icp=1&.intl=us

Juniper pictures: http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?_adv_prop=...dt&va=juniper&sz=all

You can take pictures and post at www.photobucket.com or other photo site and post link here for identification and further discussion.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: twelvepole,

Thanks, everyone. From the links I can see that they are junipers. What a bummer, as far as pruning goes...

Sorry about having junipers rather than yews. Replacement is in order.

Many older homes have foundation plantings that have outgrown their spaces. Removing and updating foundation plantings provides improved curb appeal and increases value in the home.

Many nurseries and landscape companies offer free or nominally priced landscape design services. A design drawn up that allows for completion of the design in stages as budget allows is helpful. Landscape plantings should be chosen with size at maturity in mind and amount of care and maintenance involved.

57, Juniper may be slightly pruned in early spring to remove any winter-killed tips. By mid June the need to shear again should be apparent as the warm weather produces a rash of growth.
Spreading evergreens should be sheared or thinned by removing individual branches. Make the cut under an overhanging branch and the pruning will be unseen.

If the type you have is the spreading type, perhaps "phytzer", it makes an ideal foundation plant that goes well with others like it.