Hello - we have just moved to this part of the province and have 7 cedars in our yard. They are in the front, and not fenced in - we are in deer country and as of late they have found our cedars and are ravaging the bottom. Is this going to do any kind of permanent damage or will they be fine in the spring? We are doing our best to find ways to keep them away, but it is proving challenging. Any tips on that would also be appreciated. We don't want to loose these trees. Many thanks - Karen :-)
If all the green foliage is browsed off, they won't re-grow, and you'll have bare trunks below browse height (around 1.5m).
Thuja occidentalis 'Fastigiata' ('Pyramidalis') and other forms of the species are favored winter browse of deer. You will have to fence them out in order to eliminate chronic, recurring damage to your plantings.
On the other hand, I recently saw where someone had done something unique with his deer-trimmed trees and continued trimming them until they are now completely bare at the bottom with tops that are beyond the reach of the deer. These trees stand in a row along the path to the front door and they look really nice and tidy done that way, sort of semi-closed umbrella shaped. If one is desirous of lower foliage for privacy tho, that method would not do. D
Small conical conifers pruned to have no bottom branches is actually too common already and not attractive. Think of it this way: would you buy and display a Christmas tree with a bare trunk?
Yes, I agreed for the most part until I saw what someone had done with this set of trees. When I can, I will take their photo and post it here, for they are something I have not seen done this way before and are appealing in their own way and appropriate for certain settings. Made me think Hobbit. And no, my bare xmas tree one year was a red dead arbutus branch tho many previous ones had been sparse enough to rival Charlie Brown's. :)) The spaces allow for more ornaments. D
A critical point is that madrona bark is quite ornamental. Many small conical conifers have unappealing bark that does not benefit from being exposed and revealed. An old, mature, spreading pine with characterful bark, that has already been shedding lower branches for some time on its own is also a different story. People here also seem very prone to limbing up of holly trees, much to their detriment. A basal sweep is a much grander and finer thing.
