Keeping evergreens small

[Jon]

We foolishly planted 3 potentially large trees very close to one another on a little hill behind our water garden. They all look just wonderful now, 5 years later.

But it's obvious that very soon they will be growing into one another and dwarfing the pond and hill. If possible, I'd like to keep them just the size they are, and would need to act this year before they become too large to easily prune.

They are: 1 Norway spruce, about 10 feet tall 1 Eastern hemlock, about 12 feet tall 1 Western blue pine, about 15 feet tall

They are in a triangle with each trunk about 10 feet from the others. I know, I know, we were idiots.

But all three trees are thriving, and we love the way they look now.

Is it possible to "bonsai" them to keep them this size? Should we leave this to the pros, or could you point us at a good book?

Thanks, jon

[sherwindu]

Paraphrasing something I saw on a web site seems to address this problem, as follows:

"New growth on evergreens are called "candles" because of the candle-like shape of the branch tips. Cutting the candles back halfway, before the needles unfold, will keep the tree more compact.

Candling should occur between late March and mid-May, depending on the area and the weather.

Don't try to prune once the needles have opened fully or you may end up with a misshapen plant, since these trees cannot replace their growing tips"

I think simplistic makes it sound more complicated than it has to be.

Sherwin

[sherwindu]

I should clarify some of my previous remarks. The remarks about candles are only

true for pine trees. Are you sure you have a Western Blue Pine and not a Blue Spruce? The Western Blue Pine is also known as a Bhutan Pine.

The other two trees, the Hemlock and the Norway Spruce can be trimmed to your taste. However, anything you cut off will probably grow back in a few years. The trees will probably bump into eachother eventually. The result of this is that the branches touching will die off, but the other branches should be ok. The Hemlock is the weakest of the three trees, and eventually will be pushed out alltogether.

Sherwin

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