Question
Hi.  I live in central Washington, Yakima to be exact.  I recently bought a house with a row of arborvitaes along the back fence.  The previous owner left them unattended during a rough winter and some of the branches got weighed down.  The first summer I lived here I tied them together and they seemed to respond well.  Last summer I let them grow naturally.  They only gained a bit of height and didn't fill out at all.  They basically look very sickly.  My question is should I trim them up or try something else to save them?  And if I should trim them, how exactly do I do that?  They range from 4 to 9 feet tall.  Their are 9 of them.  Thanks for your help.

Answer
Dana,
The best thing to do with the Arborvitae would be to fertilize them this spring and again in the fall. This will help to strengthen them and help them to fill out faster. Protect them in the winter by wrapping them with burlap to reduce wind dessication.
Good luck.
Thanks for the question.
Ed Gulliksen