A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 evergreen shrubs....

This spring I have removed 5 shrubs from my overcrowed landscaping in the front yard under my picture window....and relocated them....
The remaining 4 shrubs are a mess from being overcroweded for so long....they are misshapened, and a couple are drooping outward...
Last night, I took some twine and tied up a couple of the drooping shrubs...they look better, but I don't know if that is the right thing to do with them...I also trimmed them up a bit...Do you think they will fill out again on their own???
Any tips on how to revive my poor messed up shrubs??......
Thanks!!!

Most likely there's a chance they 'll fill in, but you need to identify them more specifically. Depending on what they are, you may want to cut them back.

lily, could you post some pics?

I'll try and post some pic's...going out to do that now!

[img] [img]http://img390.imageshack.us/img390/558/minus5bushes002small9xg.jpg[/img] [/IMG]

this is one of the 4 bushes...I think they are an arborvite bush....

They do look like arbrovatae (spelling?) bushes to me. They get damaged alot from heavy wet snows. I have tied them up as you have done there and fertilized them with Miracle-gro for acid loving plants and they have come back fairly well. I had to keep tying them up in the winter to prevent that from happening and did not really like the looks of them in the long run, so eventually took them out.

Wish I would have realized this about these bushes when I bought them....I'll try the miracle grow for Acid loving plants see if that helps..
but I might do what you did and yank them out..
we'll see!!.....thanks

Those are Golden Globe arborvitie ( I am not sure of the spelling either)
Don't prune back to brown/dead, as they will not fill in at that point, but they can take some light pruning.

Is that a Japanese Cut leaf maple to the right of that shrub? If so you should move it out and away from the foundation. They are beautiful plants but don't do well as foundation plantings.

Thanks Mike!....
I gave those shrubs some evergreen fertilizer last evening...they were spikes....hope it works..and I have done just that....pruned them lightly thats it!....I think they are starting to look better now!..
Yes, that is a Japanese Maple there....it's been there for the last 9 years....seems to be doing okay, but if I decide to move it, will it take to transplanting very well?? hmmm.....???

lilylu...transplanting is best done right after the leaves drop in the fall. Dig a nice sized rootball and lift carefully. Once you've had a few frosts, mulch well with your favorite mulch.

Mike, what's your objection to the cutleaf near the foundation? Alkalinity from the concrete? Roots getting under the foundation?

Dave, My main objection, is that it is right up against the house. This will keep the plant from growing a good root system since the ground around the house is generally more compacted then out in the middle of the lawn. Cut leafs are very prone to a few diseases that can be devastating to the plant, verticillium wilt and sapstreak disease. Chances are if you have a cut leaf, you will encounter one or both of these in the tree's life span. If the tree has a good root system it stands a much better chance of surviving an attack as these or both vascular diseases.


I am not even thinking of the foundation, although that is a good point as well. I never gave much stock in the lime leaching out of concrete effecting anything to any substantial point. I have seen way too much moss growing on concrete to subscribe to this theory.


Lilylu
As long as you can take it out without damaging the roots it should be okay. If I were to do it, I would plan on moving it in the fall after right after leaf drop, and mix some bone meal in the soil to encourage new root growth.

Mike, good point, Doc!
The various diseases you mention are, like so many issues, probably more an issue in some regions than in others. It's really frustrating that there's so far no database to address issues regionally, as we don't see verticillium here often, and so on. If I lived in the north, I might be concerned that snowload falling from the roof could crush the tree, and at $160 for a good specimen, that would be devestating!

Thats great info to know about the cutleaf. Is that the same as Acer Palmatum? (spelling?) As I have three of them that I planted last spring. They really seem to do well in my area, but I guess I better do some research to brush up on them. In regards to the lime leaching out of the foundation (concrete), I did experience that with some Jap. Hollies (compactum) that I planted about twenty years ago. I had a heck of a time keeping them going as I would baby them along with the right fert.etc..They would look great for a while and then slowly start yellowing out and looking rather pathetic. I had the same exact plants growing away from the house with the same light, growing conditions and they were always fine. Eventually I believe that my adding pine bark mulch and Hollytone created the correct ph (acidic) and have not had any more troubles. There was a lot of concrete around the footers by those shrubs and it is the only thing that I could pinpoint as the culprit.

Budman
Jap Maples are notorious for getting both of the diseases I mentioned, and I think you spelled it right, I have always had a hard time with Latin and spelling botanical names. As far as I am concerned, spelling stopped counting when I go my degree!


PepperEater:

Yeah snow flattening a cut leaf would be bad, but not as bad as a 48" mower getting away from you and running one over! Man my heart sunk when I saw all that "red" shoot out of the side of the mower!

Mike!
I have some similar stories!

Well, now, I guess I will move my little Japanese Maple to the back yard in the fall....thanks for the suggestions guys!