I planted a couple of Spartan Junipers at the corners of my house and I think they're going to get way too big. I'm not sure if I should be asking this question here or in the shrub forum, but I'll start here. I just read a couple of descriptions of Spartan Junipers on the 'Net and I'm getting conflicting messages. One site says it gets 3-5 feet wide, the next said up to 10'. Judging by the way these things have been growing, I'm guessing the later is more accurate. Being a graduate of the University of Michigan, you'd think I'd know better than to plant a Spartan Juniper. Duh.
So what should I do now? I could leave them for a couple of years, then yank them out and start over. I could prune them to a more acceptable size, but I don't have any formally pruned shrubs anywhere because I like a look that's more natural. I could also pull them out now and start over, which might be easier before they get any bigger.
If I do remove them, what do I replace them with? I chose junipers because they're evergreen and the deer don't eat them. All the other shrubs along the front wall are deciduous, so I really need to stick with evergreens here. They also look good with Christmas lights on them. I don't think I want blue colored junipers because I don't have hardly any blue colored shrubs except a blue shag pine toward the road. Those super skinny junipers seem too narrow to soften the corners of the house.
The bed is only about 2.5 feet from the corner to the driveway. It's on the south side of the house and next to asphalt, so it gets pretty hot there in the summer. I'm in zone 4 or 5. The soil is sandy with about 5 or 6 inches of topsoil.
I think that's enough questions for now.
