West Valley Tree Service · Yakima
Shrub and arborvitae trimming in Yakima, shaped back into a clean column or hedge line
Arborvitae and shrubs trimmed back to a clean upright shape, or taken out when they have gone too far to save.
Chapter 01
Why arborvitae splay open and brown out
An arborvitae is built to stand as a tight column, and a few things pull it apart. Wet snow bends the stems outward and a leader splits. A hedge that was left for a few seasons grows over the walk and into the neighbor's fence. And a hedge that was sheared too deep ends up green only on the outside, with a brown, bare interior behind a thin skin of foliage.
Before any cut, the shrub gets read. Which stems have simply been pushed over and can be brought back, which have split at the base, and how far back the green actually goes. That last one decides everything, because an arborvitae cut into bare, needleless wood generally does not grow new foliage from it.
An arborvitae trimmed into a clean, upright column beside a street
Shaped back into the green, or taken out
When a shrub can be saved, the work is a careful cut back to a clean column or a straight hedge line, staying in the live foliage so the plant is left looking intentional rather than scalped. A split leader is cut out or, if it is sound enough, tied back up so the shape closes again.
When it cannot be saved, the honest answer is removal. A row that is brown through the middle or leaning on its roots will not come back from trimming, and shearing it harder only makes it look worse for longer. West Valley Tree Service takes shrubs and arbs out as well as shaping them, and the stump can be ground when you want the space replanted. The photo above shows the finished look the work is aiming for: an upright column with a clean edge.
One customer wrote that after the trim the trees turned out looking so much healthier. That is the test for a shrub as much as for a big tree.
Chapter 03
Keeping the line through a Yakima summer
A shrub that has been shaped holds its line best with a light touch once a year rather than a hard cut every few. Small trims in step with the growth keep the edge sharp and keep you out of the bare wood.
Summers in Yakima are dry, and a newly trimmed arborvitae has less foliage to shade its own roots. A slow, deep watering at the base through the hot months does more for it than frequent light sprinkling, and mulch over the root zone holds that moisture in. This is general guidance for a typical yard, so if a particular hedge looks stressed, ask when we come out.
Free estimates cover Yakima, West Valley, Union Gap, Selah, Naches, Toppenish and Wapato. Call or text (509) 961-5496, and a photo of the hedge helps. Veterans receive 10% off.
“Everyone was on time, great communication about arrivals/departures and the trees turned out looking so much healthier after their trim.” Nick Blumenthal, Google review.