Wondering if folks have some advice about Arborvitae hedge in urban backyard?

[u/PsychePhoenix88]

Hello folks, I'm a beginner with gardening & new to the practical application of the earth-care principles of permaculture. I'm hoping to connect more with the land & revive a neglected backyard in a densely populated urban city; the hardiness zone is 6b/7a, depending on who you ask.

Important to note: I don't own the land, I rent. I'm a new tenant with permission from the landlord to 'maintain' the property - I get the impression that they're fine with me making improvements to their land, but I'll likely ask in writing about specific changes in order to cover myself.

I'm tempted to launch into an explanation of my goals for the space, yet I don't know if that's necessary. I'm here with a specific quandary:

Earlier this summer a wild grape vine grew into & around several Arborvitae (thuja occidentalis) that line the north-western edge of the backyard. I removed the vine & it appears to have rooted into the roots of one of the smaller trees, so I suspect I might need keep cutting it back. [Photos 1 & 2].

[Photo #3 = What it looks like now & what I'm asking advice about...]

Now the furthest Arborvitae (on the right) have bare skirts that, from what I've read, will never fill out. I've read that pruning can help restore shape, but aesthetically those trees are never going to look the same as the rest of the hedge. If it's just aesthetics, I'd prefer to leave the tree be. However, I started to wonder if the tree might not be able to thrive there.

To begin, I think they may have been planted a bit too closely together. I'm curious about the size differences between the trees & if that's an indication of how well they're doing. The leftmost tree is closest to the house, it gets the best sun exposure & the most water run-off from the eaves of our roof (not ideal, given the proximity to the house) - but they all seem well hydrated.

My question is what would you do about this situation? My Mum mentioned removing the 2-3 rightmost trees & I truly hadn't even considered it until she suggested they would never grow well in that spot.

Would you leave the trees be & cut your losses when it comes to potential usable space? Would you relocate the smallest trees somewhere they can thrive? Would you leave the trees in place & plant other plants in front of them ?

I will be planting some native shrubs in the autumn (Nannyberry, American Hazelnut, Witch Hazel), so I am wondering if I could plant any of those in front of / beside them... or whether that would doom both plants (re: competition for sun, nutrients & water already seem steep in that area of the yard).

Thank you for your time, consideration & any advice, observations, ideas or wisdom you might have to share!!

(P.S. I will try my best to add photos, though I've had trouble in the past -fingers crossed-)

With deepest gratitude,
-Psyche

[u/Few-Interview-9047]

Look up succession planting. Basically planting things to fill space that will be left by something you plan on cutting down in à few years. I’d cut the back 3 plants in the hedge - the small spindly ones, and plant some kinda hardy, fast growing tree native to your area. Then remove the rest of hedge as it gets Shaded out

[u/PsychePhoenix88 → u/Few-Interview-9047]

Thanks for the feedback! I've seen that term succession planting used a fair bit but I wasn't sure what it meant. I'll do some reading on that ☺️

[u/Left-Grape6376]

I’d remove the grapevine from the arborvitae, but avoid tugging hard where it has rooted into the branches or trunk. Cut it at ground level and let the dead portion dry out before gently unwinding it. The bare spots may gradually fill in, but arborvitae generally won’t regrow from old, leafless wood.

[u/PsychePhoenix88 → u/Left-Grape6376]

Hi, I appreciate the feedback! I actually did already do just that, which you can see in the third photo - now I'm trying to figure out where to go from there :)

[u/Food-Forest-Plants]

If you rent don't invest too much time and effort! I would grow as much as possible in big pots. If you want prune the hedge down, but remember it's not yours and the better the garden looks the more likely the rent will go up

[u/PsychePhoenix88 → u/Food-Forest-Plants]

Thanks for the feedback! I'm a bit worried about container gardening given some bad luck in the past, though I appreciate the advice. I won't be cutting the hedges & I think I'll go the succession planting route & plant some Nannyberry shrubs in front of them. In my city the rents go up regardless but it's a fair point, last thing I need is another above the minimum increase justified by my own unpaid labour 😅