Gardening Question From Linda:

It is August now. I have a neighbor who has fifteen of these 40 or 50 foot trees bordering the South side of my yard. He wants them for privacy but does not lace or top them so I can get light down in my yard for my plants. Our HOA says you cannot top this species, and so has the trimmer he consulted with. I have had three of these same trees in my current yard, on the other side of the property, and also at the last house I owned, equalling about 40 years of care. This tree does make a perfect privacy hedge behind a water feature I have, no problem, kept at 13 feet. I do not believe that this wall of very tall trees cannot be made shorter so I can have light in my yard. What say you? The trees are now about 15 years old, are very healthy and are starting to also cause root issues across my soil on the other side of our fence. I think they planted too many of these trees since they are pretty close together and they are a bit of an unnecessary nuisance. Help!

Photo by Starr Environmental

Answer From Pat:

Well guess what? There are two kinds of Podocarpus gracilior (Afrocarpus falcatus). One is grown from seed and that becomes a tree you cannot top. The other kind is grown from cuttings and makes a hedge. You can cut it to any height you want. This is what you have. Go ahead and prune your hedge. Cut it down to the height you need!