Justine: I can see that you are really having a hard time making a decision regarding your tree--and your grass. I see the reasons for your difficulty. You love the grass and you love the tree. But the tree has had some severe damage, and perhaps its survival is in doubt. So, you are reluctant to remove the grass, and then have the tree die, or at least not recover to be the beautiful tree you want it to be. You could end up losing both the tree and the grass. Not good! But here is the bottom line--or lines--sorry. If you want to do everything you can to help the tree recover, you have to get rid of all the grass and almost all the extra soil for a distance of something like 15 or 20 feet in all directions. Then you sould mulch and make sure the tree is watered during any real dry spells. And, as for the top of the tree--if it looks really ugly up there, have the arborist come and see if there is some split or something that will make it difficult for any new growth the tree makes to replace the top to have a firm foundation on sound wood. Maybe a clean cut at the top is better than some really ugly split top. If you decide to do that, later I could give some instructions for how to at least retard any rot that may want to get started in the broken/cut top. But as for the grass--if you leave the tree the grass will begin to look worse and worse over time--it will not get enough sun, and the roots of the tree may rob it of the moisture it needs unless you are comitted to watering it very regularly from now on, etc. etc. I find it hard to see how you can have both the grass and the tree. So I think you have to make a decision about what you want. Of course if you keep the tree and do what you can to help it grow the best, including removing the grass you love, it may die anyway as a result of the injury and from having the extra soil around it for too long. If you leave the tree and the grass, the grass, and the tree may both die on their own. So what to do? If the tree were the only real important thing, you should get rid of all the grass and soil from around the tree ASAP, mulch, and have the arborist look at the top and see what's there. Maybe after the tree recovers from the extra soil for a year or two, some careful fertilizing and maybe some regular watering. The tree can be really "babied" and it may respond. Or it may not. The other option is to cut the tree down and if you really love NS have another one or more planted. If you decide on that course of action, let me know and maybe and I can offer some useful advice about how to select a new tree and how to plant and care fot it, etc. If you are young, and plan to stay in that house for a long time, you may enjoy watching your new Norway spruce tree(s) grow. Following your present course could leave you with no tree and no grass after five years or so. Or the tree could do OK in spite of the extra soil and the broken top--NS are tough, resilient critters. And maybe you can nurse the grass to keep it looking OK in spite of the shade, etc. There are a lot of decisions in life that are murky--this one is plenty "murky," but fortunately the stakes are not as high as many decisions we need to make in other kinds of situations. I know I am not helping you make any decisions here, but at least I can help you see what your choices are and what the uncertainties are. If you have any questions I will be happy to offer any additional information/advice I can. --Spruce

You know to plant or not to plant and when to plant is a decision that has to be made individually. We all have our different methods and free advice to give. As for me I don't leave them in the pots all summer to become more root bound with continued growth held in check because of the restricted environment it is being subjected to. The longer grown in this state the more compromised the conifer becomes over time. If put in the ground, planted properly, and cared for I have always experienced better results. I plant all growing season. Of course climate and even micro- climate plays a big part in success or failure and where you live should be taken into consideration. Transplanting is a different issue all together. Either Fall or early Spring is the only time to do this. 4-5 ft. trees do not need to be staked unless you are training them for vertical growth. Once you have a dominant leader then the need for staking is over. This is not to say it will grow a completely straight vertical trunk. It bends and twists on it's upward growth which is the nature of this conifer. Lateral growth will be substantial as the tree matures. I have two of them. One puts out twice as much lateral growth as the other. There seems to be no consensus on the true identity of this cultivar. It takes on so many forms mostly irregular, erratic, semi-prostrate, mounding, etc. Purchased in 1-2 year old grafts you can decide how you want them to grow. This conifer is sold in most Nursery's under the cultivar name as 'Pendula'. Correct cultivar name is 'Reflexa'. Get them in the ground and start enjoying. Always a great focal point conifer. Dave

I have come across a couple of these little shoots - in both cases they were growing in an area of stones underneath downspouts. I reckon they are baby White Pine.......I dont knw whether mine will survive as the roots were way way down - I transplanted them to a pot with the idea of planting them in nearby neglected land so they might develop into trees - which are more interesting than weeds.

I agree that there's no reason to prune. The tree will form a leader but there is no guarantee that it's going to point upward. The question I would be asking is "What's my goal for this tree?" If you want a tree that grows straight up, I would suggest picking one of the longer new branches and staking it vertical. If you want something with more character, let it be.