If you don’t have an arborvitae tree or shrub in your yard, chances are your neighbor does. Arborvitaes are among the most commonly planted evergreens in Chicago-area landscapes. Many yards and ...

Q: I need to prune an arborvitae hedge because it is too tall. I’d like to remove 3 or 4 feet off the top of these shrubs. When is the best time to prune them? A: Late winter or early spring is ...

Since I became a landscape designer, I have used many arborvitaes in many different applications. This species of plant has many colors, sizes and shapes. I would use one columnar variety to emphasize ...

Yew is a perfect shrub choice for privacy. Its needled foliage is evergreen, so you don't have to worry about losing privacy when winter comes. A row of yew shrubs can easily be clipped into a neat ...

I have a problem with my emerald arborvitae shrubs. Several years ago I planted six of these shrubs along my driveway. I also planted one in the back yard against the house and two others in the back ...

Fall looms but gardening season is far from over, and you may have questions. To ask one, simply go to the OSU Extension website, type it in and include the county where you live. A photo is very ...

Sooner or later, there will be a big snow. When heavy snow is caught in the needles of evergreen shrubs, it can sometimes bend their branches alarmingly. Usually, the alarm is unnecessary. “Most ...

Q: Our son in the Twin Cities planted arborvitae last summer, watered them well, gave them good care and they looked great in the fall. When the snow melted this spring, the lower half of every shrub ...

What did the tree do when it went on sabbatical? It took a leaf of absence, of course. Tree humor is fun, but what’s happened to trees this winter is certainly no laughing matter. Wet heavy snow, ...

Editor’s note: Throughout the growing season, Mike Hogan, OSU Extension educator for Agriculture and Natural Resources in Franklin County, will answer gardening and home landscape questions submitted ...