I have a 12 foot tall cedar hedge that has been trimmed back two feet on one side, going as high as about 7 feet. It is now just raw wood showing. No green anywhere in that section. Will it grow back? If left for a year, will it fill in, just two feet back from where it was? The top section is untouched, the opposite side is untouched. Still has lots of green on the plant, just none in the trimmed section. So, does it need to be ripped out, or will it all come back?
Juniper and arborvitae are two "cedars" that are grown in cold climates. Both can come back a little from bare wood, even the trunk but do not count on anything like a full furnishing anytime soon, if ever, if you are now looking at bare trunks and leafless interior branches. This has been called a "dead zone" and even small shrubby groundcover junipers are unlikely to come back well when this has been exposed by cutting away the actively growing, fully furnished growth beyond.
There are lots of branches in there, and many small branches. But still, it's not going to have full cover ever again? The thing was 1/3rd the way across the back patio. It's now been cut back to the edge of the patio. So, just rip it out, or give it a year and watch it fill in?
if cut to brown wood recovery is slow if at all. also be wary of snow loading. If you are trimming hedges in a snowy area, try to give the hedge rounded 'shoulders' to allow for snow shedding vs flat tops that tend to accumulate really easily.
Maybe I read it wrong, it sounds like one side of it has been taken in by 2 feet? if so, then you are pretty much hooped.
12' tall, about 20' long. The section trimmed is about 7' high by 6' across. The trimming goes 1.5 to 2' into the hedge. The top 5' is still there, untrimmed. The section to the side is still there, untrimmed.
Why not keep the hedge and put a few 5-6 foot hedging cedars in in front of the section that you cut back. We planted a new section of hedge, 4 springs ago, double thickness (2 wide, alternating) and it is gorgeous now. Fertilize with 30-10-10 once a month or so.