10-06-2004, 07:02 PM
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Pruning Outdoor Juniper
(Mike) writes in article dated 7 Jun 2004 15:51:29 -0700:
I recently bought my first house, and outside has what appears to be a
very overgrown Juniper. It's roughly 10' tall, and even though it
appears to have been trimmed into a Christmas-tree shape at some
point, it's been awhile since it was taken care of.
Ha! I had the same experience a year ago -- moved into a house and all I
could see out the living room window was a giant juniper.
I pruned it quite severely last summer -- to 2'. My neighbor told me they
usually die if you do that, which is fine with me. It hasn't sprouted
anything new, and I have turned the area around the stump into a vegetable
garden.
I've seen topiaries that are nicely shaped (like a spiral), and if I
understand correctly, a juniper can be shaped like this, too. Can any
ordinary juniper be shaped like this?
I would think you have to prune for this throughout the plant's life. I had
a roommate who was sorely disappointed with his efforts on our bushes after
seeing _Edward Scissorhands_ and getting inspired.
If so, is it possible to take a 10' tall juniper that has a diameter
(at the ground) of about 5', and trim it into a nice shape like this?
I certainly don't want a 10' spiral topiary (and couldn't trim that
high, anyway), so can I take some height off of it?
If any of this is possible, do I need to do this at a special time of
year (I'm in western NC)? Any special tools, other than pruning shears
and scissors?
Don't take off too much in a single year. Sorry I don't know the optimal
season.
-- spud_demon -at- thundermaker.net
The above may not (yet) represent the opinions of my employer.
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