I am posting in Plant Identification so here goes... These are all in Vancouver. The first and last ones look very similar but when you look at the whole hedge one of them is more blueish. I think the third one might be cedar, but then does that mean it will grow really big? The reason why I need to know is because I need to aggressively trim these hedges so they don't hang over the sidewalk. Can I aggressively trim / prune / shear these types of shrubs? Thanks very much in advance.
#1. A cultivar of Sawara Cypress Chamaecyparis pisifera. #2. Chinese Juniper Juniperus chinensis. #3. Arborvitae Thuja occidentalis. #4. Another cypress cultivar, either of Sawara Cypress or of Lawson's Cypress Chamaecyparis lawsoniana. You can trim/shear them, but only lightly, not aggressively. Do not cut down into brown shoots, only cut green shoots. Aggressive cutting into old brown shoots would leave permanent dead brown patches.
Well Michael as you know we call 'em Cedars out here in the wild west. And I can never get it quite straight which is which: red cedar is a Thuja, yellow cedar a juniper? Or something like that. And none of the wood we call cedar in North America comes from trees of the genus Cedrus, which you show in your photo. Agree on the pruning advice, of course. But Brooksaa, if you are needing to trim by an amount that will cut into brown parts, then the hedges were (a) planted too close to the sidewalk in the first place, or (b) have been left unpruned too long, or (c) have simply outgrown their spot. You may want to consider replacement, and if you do, earlier is better for new plantings - they have more time to grow in before summer hits.
