Acer oblongum? A. obtusifolium? There ARE evergreen species of maples in cultivation.

I would prune the dead and dying branches that are growing under the outer ones. They're going to eventually get shaded out anyway. I'd cut them off where they originate on the trunk. This results in a thin umbrella with a wavy edge, not a bowl cut. Do not cut any branches at their tips. If the branch is 'too long' cut it off where it begins, not just short of where it's touching the ground. You want to show some of the curved trunks that is now hidden by leaves. That's one of the prime attributes of this plant and should be partially visible in the summer as well as the winter. I always say, "If ya got nice legs, show em'!" Your maple should be center stage and the shrubs on the right in picture one should be moved to the wings.

And again, I can only relate this to these being cultivars, with their own set of characteristics. Species Thuja occidentalis is furiously sloughing off interior foliage all over NE Wisconsin right now. The trees are a shell of deep green with interior of bright yellow-orange. This happens every year. Off-topic but in recent trip to this state's Door County, not so sure Thuja o. is automatically of lesser stature than western redcedar. Just take a long time to get big-there are numerous huge ones on that peninsula. Not as large as largest western reds-I'm not crazy-but there are some which would fall in place with some "average" stands out west coast way. I've been there and seen those. These trees are virtually the same thing. I don't think they really even grow slowly but instead, every branch tip has new growth, which in a tree like this is a lot of branch tips. In other words, in terms of putting on biomass, I seriously doubt that eastern arborvitae is truly slow-growing. Heck, just the amount of seeds, sloughed-off foliage in the fall, cone bracts, etc. that are deposited on my front porch comes to many pounds of material. A very "productive" plant. Too many of you will have no clue what I'm talking about, knowing this plant only from the numerous, mostly feeble cultivars. This is a vigorous forest tree, capable of rapidly colonizing new ground following disturbance, as well as marking time under the shade of the forest floor, waiting for better times ....

Wrong forum maybe? Looks like you got some brown areas in your grass, maybe we can help with those :-)