some people trim for aesthetics ....

some for size ...

some for shape ...

until you define "the look" you want.. we cant really give you an opinion as to whether or not you should prune ...

some people want there entire facade of their house cloaked in giant shrubs .... i don't know why ... and they plant plants that will get extremely large too close to the house ...

others actually want to see out their windows.. and plant smaller specimens near windows ....

you need to ID the plants you have and hit Google and find out just how big they get naturally .. and then start pruning them down to the size you want ....

i fear ... that some of your plants are monsters ... and are improperly sited for those very low windows you have .... if research shows such .. or people here can ID them from the pix you gave.. you may be better off moving some of them out now.. while they are still of small size ... it should be just about the perfect time to do it in z7 .... though i am not sure on that ...

define the look ... ID the plants.. research the size.. and then decide whether pruning or moving is your better option..

good luck

ken

It looks to me as though Ken is correct - the cultivars you have are too big for the spots they are planted in. If you or your significant other LIKE trimmed shapes in front of the house, and like the labor involved in keeping them trimmed, then you have the correct bushes - you will have to trim them back at least every spring, and maybe in the summer as well. You need to keep them below the windows, and you need to keep them away from the house, to allow for air circulation.

Were the shrubs there when you bought the property, or did you plant them yourself? If the former, it looks like you have inherited some wrongly placed shrubs, and if you did it, I think you may have succumbed to the common plaint that a plant in a one-gallon nursery pot looks awfully small, so "it doesn't REALLY need to be planted as far apart from its neighbors or the house as the tag/book/nurseryman says."

If you want more naturally shaped bushes, and don't want to be constantly grooming them, then I suggest that these get moved elsewhere on your property, and you look into various shrubs that will stay the size you ultimately want - which might take a few years, depending on how big the plants you are able to buy are at the time of planting. However, like hair, plants do grow, so they will get to the size you want.

Your photos came through partly, and then stopped - I think my computer needs work done - so I can't see the whole effect, but it is obvious that they are wanting to grow taller than your windows, and you will have a constant struggle to keep them lower. They may be too close to the house as well, I can't tell.

If you look through garden books or magazines, drive around your neighborhood, and then decide what look you want for the front of the house, then people here will be more than happy to give advice as to choices. You will have to look the suggestions up, in books or on line, so you know the characteristics of the plants, including mature height, and can then make an informed decision as to whether you want the plant in question. You also have to decide if it CAN grow in your zone or not...

Good luck.

Oh, I forgot to add - If you want to wait to remove or replace the shrubs and want to trim them for now, take sharp pruners and/or loppers, and trace back the branches you want to cut back to either the main trunk or to a larger diameter branch. If you don't want to go that deeply into the bush, then at least cut at an outward-facing bud, making a slanting cut, the lower end of which is above and opposite the bud. Try not to leave stubs, and, even if you have one, avoid the temptation to use an electric hedge pruner or even hand-powered hedge trimmers - you will have fewer cut leaves, and a better shape to the shrub if you cut the branches singly.

However, if you like the topiary look and want to recreate it (with its attendant monthly trims) then hedge clippers are the weapon of choice.

Thank you both for your info. Those shrubs were already here when I bought the property. Yes, I noticed that a lot of shrubs that were planted when the houses were built are all too big. For example, my in-law's house has monster shrubs that they need to prune every year, and still they block windows and garage. Anyway, I am not good at relocating plants. I am afraid to do it anymore; I will just prune them more often then. Thank you again for your time and effort to help me

Ahem. Not everyone believes you need to keep shrubs below the windows. I like to keep my curtains open, and really like looking out the windows with the lower half blocked from view of passers-by on the sidewalk. When the big rhodies bloom, my whole first floor is awash in color; at other times I have a great close-up of birds nests and other wildlife in the interior of these shrubs. No, it's not a conventional foundation planting, but it suits me just fine.

Other than that, I agree with what's already been said; you definitely need to id the plants first and you need to check the space between the shrubs' eventual size and the house. I like to plan at least 3 feet between the edge of the plants and the wall of the house, for maintenance and to ensure that the shrubs are not too much affected by the "rain shadow" of the house.

In most of these pictures it looks like the kinds chosen are what is called for to fill the space and soften the glaring house walls - particularly in the top photo where there is a tall blank surface behind.

In the second photo one of the photinias has experienced some kind of mishap, as though somebody threw something corrosive or hot onto it. There is a curious patch of exposed-looking soil with a corresponding section of damaged leaves above it.

Since photinias are having widespread leafspot problems you may want to replace these with something else anyway. Otherwise, if successful these will grow quite large in time. You probably need to modify the plantings anyway to get an attractive effect, so far what can be seen in these views is some shrubs dotted around to sell the house rather than a completed home landscape.

oh thank god ... we can blame the builder and his/her lack of knowledge .... lol ...

you can do so much better .... now.. do you have any ability .. or a significant other ....

how about a couple rows of retaining wall .... and a nice collection of plants that are appropriate for the area ....

here is a picture for inspiration .... see below .....

i spent 20 years pruning my parents improperly planted shrubs .... i hate twice a year pruning.. i have killed many a such a plant to avoid the nightmarish labor .... trust me.. the pruning is not that bad ... but there is the clean up ... having to do it in 100 degrees .... etc .... the cost of proper tools .... all the scratches ... the blisters .... oh my ... all the suppressed memories ....

good luck .. ken

{{gwi:241765}}

on this one.. pretend the patio is the foundation of your house .... you have a blank slate.. carpe gardum .... lol
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Nice landscaping, Ken!

Those first plants look like Cleyera (Gymnanthera japonica) to me. Then ligustrum and finally, holly.

I immediately assumed that the mound of exposed soil was a fire ant mound, lol! That would certainly be the kind of environment they love to take up residence in.

The overlong shoots should definitely be cut back. The big problem as noted above is that they are the wrong shrubs in the wrong place. Pruning once or twice a year is no big deal. Mowing the lawn takes more time, but does not require much knowledge or thinking.