This is my personal opinion, so take it or leave it… I don’t like any plants against the house, so I would cut them down.
Jarrow375
Yeah, I would trim them. I would use a trimmer to do so.
limitless__
They should not cover the windows, so trim.
artificiallyselected
Shorter bushes so you can see out the windows, and extend all the way to the right.
Status_Mousse1213
Trim them to within 1 ft of the bottom of your windows or level with the bottom of the window
LRSwa77
There are alot of beautiful bushes in the world and those aren’t it
ReinaShae
If you trim the bushes the house might look bigger….
noleism
Trim, hedge style cut below windows as others have said….box them up and they would flow well with the clean lines of the porch, railings, windows, etc.
ihateduckface
My rule is to never let shrubs cover the windows. It never looks intentional
the7egend
Trim those bushes and your staircase will look longer.
Varklord
Cannot tell from the pictures what kind of bushes these are. You might be getting bad info from these people. Not all shrubbery takes to heavy trimming.
PeachPie914
Definitely should be pruned to bottom of window sill. Depending on type of plant, may be able to shear for a neat, boxy look. Or use hand pruners to selectively cut different lengths and take out skimpy branches. Take a cutting to your loval garden store to identify first.
Revolutionary-Gap-28
Are those cypress or juniper? If you cut them down the tops will take forever to grow back in. Luckily they pop out of the ground pretty easily with a pick and shovel. I’d remove them and do a solid hedge of hydrangeas
TheBimpo
Remove completely. They’re the wrong species and overgrown. Trimming will look like crap.
SenatorRobPortman
Big fan of a big bush tbh.
Worth_Courage_3880
its a toss up really because the height of the stairs and entry way make the bushes around the first floor seem reasonable
AgedCircle
How is nobody talking about this strange entryway? I’ve lived in houses on stilts before, but unless this is a flood plain, I think the contractors may have built your basement above ground.
Btw, ditch the bushes and uncover the windows. That space between the windows on the right could fit something large though.
Ladylovespets
Love your house but I would trim. Bushes can scratch the glass, possibly crack them and be filthy. Not to mention the bugs. I kept a beautiful bougainvillea too long and regret it. It became unmanageable so I ended up losing the whole bush. Good luck:)
RefugeAssassin
The stairway to heaven was an interesting design choice by the developer.
Humble-Carpenter-189
They really don’t do anything for the appeal of the front of your house. If they are against the house and you don’t have 12 to 18 in between them and the house you should certainly trim the back and they should be much lower if you’re going to keep them there instead of something more decorative and seasonally interesting. Keeping the space prevents moisture damage insect intrusion and allows you a space to do maintenance and cleaning and painting Etc
AmaranthusSky
I would remove them. Tall, slim bushes should go between windows/stairs and short bushes go under windows. These bushes are doing nothing for your curb appeal.
TrashtvSunday
Trim the bushes. Wait a week and then decide if they need to be removed. That being said, removal is a huge pain in the ass and I wouldn’t do it unless you REALLY wanted to.
merryaustin0713
I think they look nice at the size they are.
jibaro1953
Close-ups for plant ID would help advise you as to whether or not they can be drastically pruned.
If they are Japanese hollies, hack away.
Other species are not as tolerant and will not grow back and fill in.
pccfriedal
They look like globe arborvitae. That type of plant doesn’t take well to pruning, unfortunately.
They do look like they have reached their adult size. Looks like a classic case of “good plant, wrong location”.
I think, sadly, they need replacing.
Delicious-Ad4015
OP——What specific shrubs are there?
Moss-cle
What kind are they? That determines if you can trim them down. Boxwood you could and they will flush back out. If they are junipers, which i doubt in that shade, that would be a nope.
Perhaps it would be better to replace them with a shrub a bit further from the foundation that won’t grow 6’ tall and block your windows
fuzzywuzzypete
im winded just looking at those stairs
esaule
they shouldn’t cover the windows. You want the sunlight. So I would trim to let the sun get in. Maybe once it is trimmed, you’ll hav e a better sense of whether you want it or not.
30 Comments
Bear vs Bull.
This is my personal opinion, so take it or leave it… I don’t like any plants against the house, so I would cut them down.
Yeah, I would trim them. I would use a trimmer to do so.
They should not cover the windows, so trim.
Shorter bushes so you can see out the windows, and extend all the way to the right.
Trim them to within 1 ft of the bottom of your windows or level with the bottom of the window
There are alot of beautiful bushes in the world and those aren’t it
If you trim the bushes the house might look bigger….
Trim, hedge style cut below windows as others have said….box them up and they would flow well with the clean lines of the porch, railings, windows, etc.
My rule is to never let shrubs cover the windows. It never looks intentional
Trim those bushes and your staircase will look longer.
Cannot tell from the pictures what kind of bushes these are. You might be getting bad info from these people. Not all shrubbery takes to heavy trimming.
Definitely should be pruned to bottom of window sill. Depending on type of plant, may be able to shear for a neat, boxy look. Or use hand pruners to selectively cut different lengths and take out skimpy branches. Take a cutting to your loval garden store to identify first.
Are those cypress or juniper? If you cut them down the tops will take forever to grow back in. Luckily they pop out of the ground pretty easily with a pick and shovel. I’d remove them and do a solid hedge of hydrangeas
Remove completely. They’re the wrong species and overgrown. Trimming will look like crap.
Big fan of a big bush tbh.
its a toss up really because the height of the stairs and entry way make the bushes around the first floor seem reasonable
How is nobody talking about this strange entryway? I’ve lived in houses on stilts before, but unless this is a flood plain, I think the contractors may have built your basement above ground.
Btw, ditch the bushes and uncover the windows. That space between the windows on the right could fit something large though.
Love your house but I would trim. Bushes can scratch the glass, possibly crack them and be filthy. Not to mention the bugs. I kept a beautiful bougainvillea too long and regret it. It became unmanageable so I ended up losing the whole bush. Good luck:)
The stairway to heaven was an interesting design choice by the developer.
They really don’t do anything for the appeal of the front of your house. If they are against the house and you don’t have 12 to 18 in between them and the house you should certainly trim the back and they should be much lower if you’re going to keep them there instead of something more decorative and seasonally interesting. Keeping the space prevents moisture damage insect intrusion and allows you a space to do maintenance and cleaning and painting Etc
I would remove them. Tall, slim bushes should go between windows/stairs and short bushes go under windows. These bushes are doing nothing for your curb appeal.
Trim the bushes. Wait a week and then decide if they need to be removed. That being said, removal is a huge pain in the ass and I wouldn’t do it unless you REALLY wanted to.
I think they look nice at the size they are.
Close-ups for plant ID would help advise you as to whether or not they can be drastically pruned.
If they are Japanese hollies, hack away.
Other species are not as tolerant and will not grow back and fill in.
They look like globe arborvitae. That type of plant doesn’t take well to pruning, unfortunately.
They do look like they have reached their adult size. Looks like a classic case of “good plant, wrong location”.
I think, sadly, they need replacing.
OP——What specific shrubs are there?
What kind are they? That determines if you can trim them down. Boxwood you could and they will flush back out. If they are junipers, which i doubt in that shade, that would be a nope.
Perhaps it would be better to replace them with a shrub a bit further from the foundation that won’t grow 6’ tall and block your windows
im winded just looking at those stairs
they shouldn’t cover the windows. You want the sunlight. So I would trim to let the sun get in. Maybe once it is trimmed, you’ll hav e a better sense of whether you want it or not.