I came home to find my back yard cedars hacked by my neighbours gardener. I’m in tears they look insane. They longer provide privacy. Am I better off just cutting them down or will the bottoms regrow? This is a sample of two of the 4 smaller trees and it was also done to one much bigger tree which is as tall as my house. I’m devastated.
Also curious what it would cost to replace all of these if anybody has any sense.
It is difficult to respond without knowing what the cedars looked like before they were cut back. I’ll assume they were columnar in appearance (they still are), with the widest/bushiest part at the bottom – and that now they have been “thinned” from top to bottom, with the bottom branches removed, resulting in more space between the trees, with the lower portions of the tree trunks now visible.
The best information I could find states that cedars should be pruned on recent green growth, i.e., from the last couple of years, and that cedars should not be pruned to old wood. From the photo, it appears that your trees have been cut back to “old wood” in most spots on the lower trunk. If there is some green wood and sunlight can get through to the lower branches of the tree, these lower branches may grow back, but it will take many years for it to fill out completely. On the other hand, if the lower branches are dead, or pruned back, they will not grow back. From your photo, it looks like there are very few lower branches left, so it is not clear if the tree bottoms will grow back.
Rather than cutting the cedars down, I’d suggest that you consult a certified arborist about best next steps. To find an arborist, Trees are Good is a good place to start.
The Toronto Master Gardeners does not have information about replacement cost for your trees. An arborist would be able to help you in this regard.
All the best with your cedars!