My son just bought a house in Champaign and near the house are 5 white pine trees. They were planted about 2 years ago and now they are about 12 feet high. How can I prune them so they don't grow any higher? Can I top them?

Hi Neal, Pines can be pruned but please keep in mind they want to be 50-60 foot tall trees unless they are dwarf varieities. They will have to be pruned every year. also your question Can I top them? makes horticulturists and arborists shudder. topping is not healthy for trees and ruins their natural shape which they will never recover from. all that said the candles (new growth) can be pruned back by two thirds this time of year. this will keep them more compact. pines do not recover if they are pruned into the brown zone where there are no needles. may want to consider replacement with smaller shrubs such as arborvitae. even though this info is from Colorado it may help. http://cmg.colostate.edu/gardennotes/618.pdf good luck, sandy