Shrubs - Juniper
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  I have two Iris Junipers that are out of shape and they need pruning. Can I prune them now or when is the right time to prune?

  You can shape junipers whenever they need it. But do keep in mind that junipers only have new growth buds on green needled parts of the plant. So don't prune way back to old wood or the plant won't recover.

  Could you please tell me if my very large spreading juniper bushes can be cut back at any time of the year? When is the best time to do this and how much can they be pruned? These bushes are very old and at the present time somewhat unsightly.

  Junipers can be lightly pruned whenever it is needed. If you are trying to control size, you may want to prune after the first flush of new growth is put on in the spring. Junipers, as with other conifers, cannot be pruned beneath green needle growth. There are no buds on the old wood to produce new branches. You are, therefore, more limited in your pruning with junipers than you would be with a broadleaf plant.

  We have some sort of juniper, 5 yr old, 8' tall with blue berries and blue green in color. The branches go up, but some have grown so fast, they are hanging down from weight. Can those branches be trimmed? When and how much? We also have white pines, same age, damaged from deer in rutting season. They are top heavy, with a bare spot in the middle from the deer damage almost 2 years ago. We have a fence around them now. Should they be topped, trimmed or left alone? Thanks for your help. 

  As to the junipers, you can lightly prune them now. Make sure you leave green needle growth on every branch you prune. Coniferous evergreens differ from broad leaf plants, in that there are not any new growing buds on the old wood. All new growth is generated from the branches with needles. So don't prune hard. If you prune a branch back leaving no needle growth, you have a dead branch. The same principle applies to the White pine. You may want to limb them up to make them look more attractive, but never top a tree. Unfortunately, you won’t see much new growth generated in the middle where the damage was. If you decide to limb them up, you might consider planting something under them to fill in the gaps that are left.

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