For me cutting off the ends of branches on a Norway spruce or a blue spruce would disfigure the tree, perhaps permanently. One of the beauties of a spruce tree is the sweeping branches reaching outward. If these are cut back, causing the branch to fork, it takes away from this effect, and could result later on in these forked branches crossing each other. I was once driving along with a friend and pointed out an astonishingly beautiful Norway spruce tree with wonderful weeping branchlets. This person told me she thought the tree was ugly, and added that she did not like trees that had any space between the branches. So, beauty may be in the eye of the beholder. If you want a dense tree with no space between the branches maybe some other kind of conifer would be better for you. --Spruce

Wow - you dug up a seriously old post! So I did end up planting a very long screen -- basically the entire length of the property line -- and I'm actually really happy with how it turned out. We used Thuja Green Giant arborvitae in the center where the tallest part of the house we are trying to block out is -- we planted them a decent distance apart, not all jammed up like I see people do for a property line screen. They have grown fast, widened out, and are basically almost up to the roof of the house we are trying to hide. I think they should cap out right about 35 feet or so, which won't block the view. We planted a few during our initial planting then filled in with a few more a couple years later -- those later plantings are a bit stunted - not sure if it's because we squeezed them into less space or they were just inferior to begin with (originals came from a nursery and were planted by a landscaper, later ones from Home Depot and we DIYed them). But they are all growing well and healthy, and seem impervious to deer, wind, cold, snow, etc. To the sides of the arborvitate, we used Nellie Stevens hollies. They too have grown fast. They don't much care for the wind -- they ended up looking pretty bad by the end of the last two winters (which were brutally cold and windy) but they filled in with new leaves in the spring. The deer don't seem to eat them either. And again, I think they cap out at 20 feet or so. To the sides of that (which is getting away from blocking the house and now just screening their yard from ours) we used forsythias planted very close together that we let grow wild into a thick hedge -- mainly because I love forsythia. It's not evergreeen but the hedge is so thick and branches are so close together that it does a decent job of screening even in winter. And in spring when it is in bloom, it is an absolutely stunning wall of yellow. Again the deer don't bother them and they seem to grow well without much care. And finally at the very end of the property lines, we used sea green junipers -- again, we were looking for something evergreen but it didn't need to be tall - we were only trying to hide the neighbor's "junk pile" which was unfortunately located so that it was the first thing you saw when you pulled into our driveway. Those are the plants that look the sickliest -- there's always big brown patches in them and the snow breaks the branches. But they are farthest from the house and from far away they look ok, so I don't mind them. I think if I had to do it over again, I'd have used all forsythia instead of also using juniper -- the forsythia are just so amazingly gorgeous when they are in bloom. I would take a picture for you but we are in the middle of a storm right now -- if I remember, I will get one tomorrow. Here's a link to a pic of what it looked like when we first planted itin 2009: Newly planted And here's a shot from the summer of 2012 (sorry for lousy pic -- best I could find): Three years old I would say that this year it really started to look good since the green giants are basically touching now.

Chester: I think are are a bit like me--I observe the growth of my trees, especially my Norway spruce very closely. So let me tell you a little more about what I have observed. First, the shoot elongation. You will know when your shoot has just about finished growing when the needles on the top third are spaced as they are on the bottom third. Your tree is doing very well, considering it is just its second year of growth after planting. A little more about forks/double leaders. I said that I usually wait three years before cutting out double leaders because they tend to resolve themselves. Well, considering how closely you are observing the growth of your tree, let me tell you a little more of what I have discovered after many, many years of NS growing. If you want a tre with perfectly regular form, cut out any forked or double leader immediately. If you are like me and don't really care about "perfection" of form, here are my guidelines: If the two tips of the double leader are separated by 5 or six inches (depending on total length) the chances that one will take over and the other move to be a side branch (although at a more accute angle) are very great. I do nothing. If the two tips of the double leader are very close after the second year, you will most likely have to cut one out, even if one is somewhat shorter than the other. When you cut out one of two leaders, especially if they are the kind with the tips close together, it is best to cut it out right at the base. These leaders react as if they were separate trees, and when cut off they try to re-grow quickly to make up for the loss. If one is growing out at a bit of an angle to the taller one, shortening can help the tree develop more regular form without cutting it out completely. I usually don't do this with my spruce trees, but it is OK. Well, I hope this helps. Your tree will grow faster in some years, slower in some others. This is not always because of differences in the weather. There are internal tree dynamics that I am not sure anyone understands. So I if your tree does not grow quite as much next year, don't think about it. Also, sometimes a large bird can perch on the top of a spruce tree, breaking off or bending down the leader. Don't worry too much about this. By mid to late August the leaders will turn upright. If the leader is broken, usually one, sometimes two of the side shoots will turn erect and take over as leader, although with some loss of length. Usually if two side branches turn erect, by the second year one will take over. If not, you may have more pruning to do. Spruce

In many cases the trees will eventually develop new terminal leader(s). If you remove all but one you will sometimes get a reasonably normal tree that has lost a few years in growing taller. Other times you will get a tree with a strange crooked trunk. It may or may not help the bottom grow denser, no guarantee it will always direct extra growth there. If multiple leaders develop and are left to grow, you will have a weak multi-trunked tree prone to storm damage. Bundles of small seedlings are usually available in bundles of 10 or so for $10-$20 a bundle through many nurseries and soil conservation districts in early spring. They are very small but establish well. Maybe planting more each year at a low cost per tree would give you the option of removing those that do not have good form after a few years of growth. ...I would not want to buy nursery stock that has the terminal bud removed. Not a good way to grow an attractive, healthy tree.