i have a client and she wants her cedar hedge trimmed alot can i take it down about 1-2 feet and cut out all the dead inside and not trim the out side will it grow back in i was told yes ??
Based on results seen with other old arborvitae hedges, if the topping cuts take it down well below the part that has green foliage now there will probably be a problem with it having a bald, mostly leafless top for years - perhaps indefinitely. Any replacement tops that may arise from the old bare wood will be likely to be scattered and small. I have seen this many times with comparatively slow subjects like Thuja occidentalis 'Fastigiata', up there you may be talking about more vigorous T. plicata. However, whacking two feet off of an existing sheared(?) hedge of this one can probably be expected to produce a similar result - whether or not you cut way down into where it's all bare is the critical point.
