Question
Our house near Atlanta was landscaped with 2 juniper trees at the edges of the garage. They are both in great shape except that they are growing too tall. What is the best method to prune/train these trees to keep them out of the gutters? Thanks.

Answer
Topping tree is not usually a good thing for them. Height reduction works best on small trees by slowly removing some of the foliage. Topping pyramidal junipers may be necessary to maintain a certain height; however, the cut most be made above the dead zone to insure development of a new leader. When you make the cut make sure you leave some needles on the top. IF you cut back to bare wood the tree will not put on new needles and the top will die. Try to trim a little as needed to insure resprouting on new foliage. The early spring is the best time to do this that way the tree has time to recover before winter. You do understand that topping will lead to a more flat top looking tree than the pointed shaped top a juniper normally has.