# What to do with this ?



## 740jsmayle (Mar 8, 2014)

We purchased our home a year ago. The shrub as I call it is a bit ugly standing in the front yard. Is there anything I can do to make it look nice or is it to big ? Should I pull it and start over ? The ornamental grass is getting cut this week if temps stay up .


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## ch woodchuck (Mar 8, 2014)

It is a nice looking shrub.Appears to be some buildings in the background,so it may act as a visual barrier.But..if you want an unobstructed view of the background..your call.Or.. you could plant a few other shrub/sm trees to fill in the area for a more balanced look....


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## old_soul (Mar 10, 2014)

Looks like some type of cedar, usually they get brown and windburned in the open like that so I'd say you are already doing good with having it grow there


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## 740jsmayle (Mar 13, 2014)

Thanks for the replies! 
There is a house across the street but they are about 1000 yds or more away
As for being wind burnt it is turning brown in places we are up on a hill and during the winter the wind blows constantly. Will this eventually kill it ?
So from the replies I take it that you do not trim/prune these to give them some kind of shape . I don't mind it if it just had some shape to it


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## old_soul (Mar 14, 2014)

740jsmayle said:


> Thanks for the replies!
> There is a house across the street but they are about 1000 yds or more away
> As for being wind burnt it is turning brown in places we are up on a hill and during the winter the wind blows constantly. Will this eventually kill it ?
> So from the replies I take it that you do not trim/prune these to give them some kind of shape . I don't mind it if it just had some shape to it



won't always kill it, just makes them wiry and misshapen...like the pic lol

You can trim them, they need to be pick-pruned with hand clippers not sheared like a bush.


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## DR. P. Proteus (Mar 29, 2014)

Del_ said:


> That is a nice looking shrub. Anything you do to it will only detract from it's natural form and decrease it's value in the landscape.




That thing is so vile it should have napalm dropped on it to spare us from its atrocity. Either that or maybe prune it in the shape of a dragon. I dunno, but anyway you look at it this poor guy has definitely got a problem with this errant spruce tree ****ing up his program.


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## Pelorus (Mar 30, 2014)

Complete removal of bottom 3'of limbs, in addition to lopping 3' off the top, plus a touch of side shearing action.
Subdue and maintain that mutant to a state of near-death suspended animation.


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## stltreedr (Apr 14, 2014)

I, too, believe it to be cedar. It is probably growing in rocky, red clay where nothing else will. If you don't like it, cut it down. I don't mind the way it looks, personally. 
You can't prune the branches on a cedar much, as they will die back to the trunk. If you prune them all, and they all die back, guess what, you've created a dead Charlie Brown Christmas tree.


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