Oh, I think they look GREAT! But I'm not sure if it's because of the roots that I was advised to remove them....that the roots may cause chaos with the concrete driveway/sidewalk....I don't know. Still in the thinking stages now, I do like them there, and if the roots may not pose a big problem with the concrete, I'd love to leave 'em....IF I could learn how to prune them to keep them at a size I'd like them...without making them look horrible. I've never pruned anything in my life. Not like that, anyway. So I'd think of it as hacking, myself...because that's more than likely what it may end up looking like! =) I may look up holly bushes though, I hadn't thought of that, I love hollies, but didn't know there were any that were more upright! Thanks!

Thanks everyone for the feedback. Bboy - interesting point about the growth. Based on what I've read, these tend to grow much faster than they have, and I'd wondered why they hadn't made much progress. *#^%(#(% They looked very healthy, I didn't notice any dead needles on the inner part of the tree this past summer, and we've watered and fertilized as necessary. I did notice that they filled in a lot width-wise, however. Other than the height, I THOUGHT they were doing great. I don't think fence height had as much to do with it as does the amount of snow we've had in comparison to recent years. It's never been an issue until now. We were in the habit of twining only the loose upper brances, but my gosh, I would have had to twine the entire tree top to bottom this year to prevent this with the amount of snow we've had in Wisconsin ---- didn't know to do that....expensive lessen learned...and of course the nursery doesn't explain that when you hand over the credit card. Deer not an issue in the inner city. Single stemmed and multi-leadered - things you never know to ask, and they don't tell. I thought I did all the necessary research before we purchased, but next time I'll spend a little more time - perhaps on this forum! I'm still kicking myself for not getting the Techny.

Hi Amy. From what I've gathered here so far, I do not believe this foliar death to have anything to do with how the trees were planted or cared for since. The only thing I can come up with is that they might have dried out in shipment or immediately after. FWIW, there are few plants more forgiving than arbor vitae. There is a well-known college-level tree and shrub book (Dirr), wherein this expert states, as his first entry under Thuja occidentalis-the trees you got-"A healthy tree". I don't like the multi-stemmed types like yours, partly because of the snowload issues, but as you state, yours is not an area that typically gets lots of snow. In any case, that has nothing to do with this issue. Ken's advice to water when water is needed is right on and this will usually amount to a once per week thing, barring sufficient rainfall. Someone mentions that all burlap, etc, should be removed, and I agree. But even so, this also would have nothing to do with that foliage dieing off. The rootballs were of decent size. That wasn't the problem. Also, I would not fertilize these trees at all, or at least not until they are well established. And then only very moderately. Additionally, The genus Thuja is one of the most tolerant of all conifers to alkalinity, actually making their best growth in regions having limestone rock near the surface. So the concrete will not be a problem at all for these trees. Mulching around new plantings is always a good idea, but again, the fact that you have not yet done so is not why the dieback occurred. Unless some new bit of info is revealed, I can only surmise that the rootballs got too dry for a little too long, immediately before, during, or after you received the plants. Trees do show a delayed reaction to many stress factors, so good-looking plants could have been damaged before that damage shows up. +oM

I forgot to mention that we are in central Pennsylvania, about an hour directly north of Harrisburg. We have had what seems like a fairly average summer, possibly a little dryer than normal. When we have a dry spell I do go out and water the shrubs. Here are few more pictures taken last night. The original that I posted was from right after the shrubs were planted. Close up of the dying arb. - http://i.imgbox.com/2OyAmbIA.jpg rear of the arbs., note the tree coverage. - http://i.imgbox.com/3TPLIqjB.jpg Two more pictures showing the tree coverage and shrubs. http://i.imgbox.com/tFiUHZgv.jpg http://i.imgbox.com/iXUjxdB0.jpg You will notice only one very browned arb, the two directly next to this one have been replaced in the last 4-6 weeks as they were in the same state. Lowes offered a 1 year warranty so I was credited for the purchased amount. My thought about bugs is that it is unlikely as the three shrubs I have had the problem with are all right next to each other. I could be wrong in this assumption. About applying a mulch, noted and I plan to take care of this immediately. I am happy with the layout of my yard/fence line and I do not require a additional shed as we have a sizable shed/single horse barn already for storage. I did not put fertilizer in the holes when planting. The ground in that area is extremely hard and compacted (compared to just a few feet over). Would it be beneficial to till up all of the ground in the general area down to maybe 12" or so? Will this help with my problem at all? When I replace the dying arb, should I break up the compacted soil (clay) that the root ball comes from the store in? Thank you again for all of your help.