Should we reduce our front garden conifer or remove it entirely?

[Maggiethecat]

Conifer at front of house must be about 15 ft tall.

I don’t love it but think I might miss the privacy it affords and I think the place would immediately be bare without it, although we could try growing something else in its place.

It’s up against the garden wall and doesn’t appear to have done any damage.

We have the option to remove it entirely or reduce it by about a third.

Would it look ridiculous cut by a third or could it be cut and shaped?

Is it better to just remove it?

I would really dislike having a tree that big so close to and obscuring my window. If there is any chance that you will be selling your house in the not too distant future, I'd get rid of it. I also can't envision how you'd cut it back without looking weird.

Get rid of it
It looks weird where it is

it will probably cost about the same to have it trimmed down as it would to remove it.
I had some massive conifers (10+ m) taken out and beech saplings put in which will grow into a hedge. Much better for local wildlife and nicer to look at IMO.

I’d remove it. I think it’s ugly. You could replant something prettier, less bulky and more suitable afterwards.

I hate conifers and would personally remove it. There are much more attractive options you could replace it with.

It’s only going to grow bigger. Wrong place for it. If you reduce its height, it will look strange, plus you’ll have to keep trimming it. I’d remove it and plant a shrub or something that grows to a lower height.

I think it looks nice and gives lots of privacy. I cut down ours and it looked bare.

Conifers - especially big and overgrown ones - can look horrendous if you cut, there’s a lot of brown branches in them fat bits. We had a huge row of them in front of our house and it took us years to have the guts (and cash) to get rid of them, best thing we ever did.

I'd be getting rid of that, it's neither use nor ornament.

Thanks all.

I think it would be strange to reduce it, tree surgeon did mention the brown bits that would be exposed too.

I agree that something nicer could go there - just need to figure out what!

It only gets a few hours of morning sun but I’m sure something else will like it there.

You could plant a variegated holly. They are good in shade and will brighten up a dark spot. If you get a female tree and there is a male nearby you will get bright berries in the depths of winter.

I don’t love holly unfortunately.

Someone down the road has a really nice magnolia Susan, the flowers are huge and have been going for a few weeks this spring.

They’re on the same side of the road as me so presuming one would be fine in place of the conifer.

There’s also a buddleja at front adjoining next door so am
thinking the front must get enough light for a decent range of trees to do ok.

A photinia red robin is nice. Quite slow growing but lovely colours

Whatever you do, don't cut it in nesting season.

Oh dear! I’m on another thread talking about removing my photinia in the back garden 😂

I would remove and replace with a hardy tree. We have an ornamental pear and a silver birch (jackmontii) which are both fairly fast growing but won't get massive. They will both drop their leaves in winter so you will get more light in the darker months. We bought the silver birch at 7ft for only £100 or so, so you could get something even bigger for a bit more.

Now that it’s that big it’d be difficult to cut it back significantly and have it look good.

You’d expose the brown bits if you cut too far back, and they generally don’t grow back, which looks terrible.

You’d be better off getting rid of it altogether and replacing it with something different.

@Maggiethecati would look at replacing it with the upright cherry Amangowa. You get spring blossom and it doesn’t spread.

That’s pretty @MeetMeOnTheCorner

You will lose a lot of privacy if you take the tree out.
Magnolia Susan grows to 4m tall and 3m wide. Will that not be too big there?

I have viburnum and it’s so lovely or an evergreen clematis with trellis

I would go with something open and airy and not too tall. Evergreens tend to suck all the light out of a small space. I’m with you on the holly. I have a whole hedge of holly and ivy and been advised not to get rid as it’s good for the native invertebrates.

Potentilla shrubs flower their socks off all summer and wouldn't grow too tall.

Team Get Rid.
When they're heavily pruned, they don't re-grow from brown wood so stay looking hacked forever.

DM's then young hedge got some brown, bare patches from the drought in 1989... they are still bare now!

I'd research a different way to ensure privacy. You can't trim back without brown patches.