Norfolk pine

Hi all have a major issue this year with my Norfolk pine. I bought it as one of those little trees they get in around Thanksgiving/Christmas time.
It was quiet small. It didn't like it in the house much so I stuck it out on our back patio and it seem to thrive really well. We put it in a new pot almost every year and now its actually taller then the edge of our house.

The first few years we kept it in the garage during the winters due to the fact that a light frost froze the tips. Then one year we brought it in but it droped a lot of leaves and lost some branches. It just doesn't seem to like it inside at all.
Last year we put it back in the garage but the very tip was bent a little.
But this year there is NO Way its going to fit in the garage again and we aren't really sure what to do with it.
IF we leave it out it will freeze and die but it will not fit in the garage again. We have one point thats higher in our house but it would be in the middle of the room in the way for us to have it there and it wouldn't do well at all since it would be in side.
And hubby's not even sure we will be able to fit it through a door with out major damage this year either due to its overall size.

We have thought about cutting some of the top off but we aren't sure what that will do to it.

Hubby has even talked about building it a little area to keep the frost off with a light in it.

See the one year the tips froze we tried to keep it outside with blankets and light on under it , kind of tented it more or less but where the blanket touched it is where to tips froze.

Anyway I told him he can only build it so big and we won't be able to do it every year if it keeps growing.

I have had it 5 years now and its actually still very pretty even with missing branches cause its about 3 to 5 trees in one. I've never really counted I just know its mulitiple trees.

Anyway I was hoping to find out about cutting the top off of the tallest ones so we could fit it into the garage this year again.

Or any other suggests that might help us get it through the winter this year.

I was hoping to maybe get some ideas that would help us figure this out so we don't kill it.
I really love my Norfolk pine.

We were military and every time we would move I would buy one as soon as they started selling them and would keep it til we had to move and would give it away and start over when we settled again. They always did very well and got pretty big but never as big as this one is. I'd really like to keep it as long as I can .

On another note.
If we have to repot it this next year hubby will have to make it a pot cause we can't find a pot bigger than what its in right now. He was thinking landscape timbers maybe.

But I have a question about repotting it. If we repot it into a bigger pot it will keep growing and its already bigger than what we can handle or know what to do with.
I had a neighbor years and years ago that had a B.Ficus and she wanted it to stay the same size so she would take it out of the pot and cut the roots back and put it back in the same pot with new soil and it seemed to do fine.
I never paid much attention to it at the time but I do remember her doing this so I am wondering IF any of you know anything about this.
And would it work okay do with a Norfolk pine?

Any way any advise help and suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
thanks
smel

Having practiced bonsai for more than 20 years, I'm sure I can guide you through a reduction of both the top and the roots. This picture may not mean much w/o an explanation, but it is a larch I'm preparing to chop the top off just above the crossing wires to reduce it to bonsai size. I'll then build a tree from what's left. The top reduction and root work you're asking about are necessary requirements for maintaining bonsai.

Al

It sounds like this norfolk has seen a lot of action in its day! Sometimes plants in general benefit when left in the same location. Norfolks appreciate moderate sun, even temperature from 10-25 C, and well-drained but moist soil. You can snip branches off almost anytime, but I'd only reccommend doing a 'thinning' at first. 'Tapla' could probably give you better instruction on size reduction and form -- but as a good rule of thumb, during the plant's winter cycle (decreased sunlight hours per day) is usually a good time to do any pruning. Giving the roots a trim can work, as long as you don't crush or disturb too many of the delicate root hairs that actually feed the plant.

If you cut off the top of a Norfolk tree it will be become multi headed. However because you have a group plant maybe you could just cut the top off to fit it in the garage and when xmas comes again just trim shape the tree group into a one tree shape.