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To lop or take conifers to stump?

I am hoping someone can advise regarding a decision I am struggling to make over my two tall conifers at the bottom of my garden which I inherited with the house a few years ago.
 Do I lop them to gutter level or shed level or take them down to stump? I am not sure of the condition of the fence behind them or who owns it, but from what I can tell they do not appear to be falling down in any way. I have also noticed that there is a degree of browning at lower levels
 Additionally I do not enjoy looking at a plain fence and enjoy lots of greenery, even ivy covering wooden fences. 
Lobbing them significantly or taking them down to stump would mean I become overlooked in the garden, so in some ways they are useful to provide a level of privacy. If I replaced them with something else it would take a few years to provide any decent levels of privacy.
I am aware conifers grow quickly, so basically I want to avoid as a single income house hold having to factor in the extra cost of continually having them reduced.
So to significantly lob or should I go right down to stump? Work booked in for next weekend and need to make my decision before then .
Any thoughts gratefully received. TIA


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  • Could you reduce the height and make into a hedge that you could maintain?

    If cutting into brown wood it might look a bit brown on top, but it could be a good compromise?

    A better solution would be as you have suggested to remove and replace….this would obviously be more expensive and take time. You would also likely need to take time to improve the soil 



  • PosyPosy Posts: 3,601
    You have covered every issue! Conifers generally look dreadful when you lop them, though an expert might be able to do an acceptable job. But, as you say, removing them has many disadvantages. They are attractive as greenery and as a screen but they are too big for your garden and they will continue to grow. See what others think, but I feel you know you have to decide this for yourself!

    A new fence with trellis and climbers would provide some privacy,  but nothing will give you the total block the conifers do.
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    Unless it's Thuja or Yew (can't tell from the picture) they won't grow back from old brown wood so there's a limit to how short and narrow you can make them while still keeping them green. This is just my opinion but I think lopped conifers often look awful so personally I would either leave them as they are if they're sound trees and not in danger of falling and you don't need the space that they're filling, or remove them completely including the stumps, improve the soil and plant something else. Hopefully your contractor is a good tree surgeon who will be able to tell you accurately what they can reasonably do to make them smaller but still looking good.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    They have their own natural shape,  any type of pruning will spoil it.
    They will probably decide for themselves in a few years time, as mine did,  when they start to fall will be the time to do something with them.
    For me,  I would leave it,  the birds will love it in the winter.


    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • You can reduce the height but you can't reduce the spread ... if you cut into them you'll be left with bare brown sticks for evermore, and left green they'll grow and soon take up half your garden!  I'd bite the bullet and get rid of them ... improve the soil and plant some beautiful things ... bare root trees and small shrubs aren't expensive and grow quickly if they're looked after.  

    I'm retired and on a limited income .so I understand your concerns .. we bit the bullet and got rid of all but one of the large trees in our garden, and had the last one pollarded so at least it won't cost so much to maintain ... given the way of the world at the moment I'm so glad that we made that choice.  

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    We cut ours down eventually but the OP needs it for a screen from the house behind,  it will take a long time and expense to get plants that tall to hide the house. 

    These eventually gave up by themselves,   It was sad to see them go like this but then they had to come down in the end.  I’ve now got a lovely flower border there. 
     I didn’t have anything I needed to screen.


    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • Thanks to all who have commented.
    The tree surgeon wants my decision asap and is booked in for this weekend. 
    If only I could see a before or after picture...I really do not like looking at fence panels and that will be my view.
    I do not want to lose my privacy, but equally do not want the expense of regularly maintaining the trees.
    It is like a looming tower hanging over me when I sit in the garden, a large section of ground in front is very dry.
    Possibly an ugly tree which maintains some privacy is better than no privacy at all?
    Now thinking of lopping down to below gutter level and removing some of the thickening, although seems quite brown inside?


  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    I think you need the tree surgeon to have a look and tell you whether he can prune them in a way that leaves them looking good but smaller. I think it probably depends on the structure of the branches and how deep the green goes. A decent qualified tree surgeon (not a hack & slash person) should be able to identify what type of conifer they are and give advice.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    If you're staying in that house for a long time, I'd remove them. 
    ( silk purses and sows' ears )
    Devon.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited September 2022
    We have a large house at the end of our garden … it’s screened adequately for us like this 

     
    The Amelanchier is only young (it was about 7ft when we planted it just a few years ago) and has a lot of growing to do ... and this year it has already lost a lot of leaves … normally it’d have more through the summer  … of course its branches are bare in the winter and the runner beans aren’t there then either … but we’re not outside as much in the winter .., and using a ‘sort of pergola with climbers nearer to our house we feel quite private on our terrace.  
    There’s a lot that can be done to screen your view if you use perspective in the right way.
    Lots of ideas here https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/garden/604478/How-to-create-a-private-garden

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





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