Conifers respond well to trimming if it is done properly and at the right time. Now is a good time. Do not prune/trim into wood with no leaves as it will not regrow. ie prune no lower than about 2 inches above where the leaves start

Rather belated advice but in future always a good idea to read the label - most give projected height after 10 years, and Goldcrest is a tall one. There are much smaller varieties that grow very slowly that might suit you better.

thanks for your advice but i'm now considering cutting it down altogether as it's so close to my house wall. as i say, it's now about 7 feet tall but the trunk is only 3 feet from my house wall. didn't realise it grew so large and it's only going to get bigger. i can prune it as suggested to keep the size in check but i am so concerned about the damage the roots could be doing to the foundations below ground, if any?

All conifers can very easily be kept to pretty much whatever height you like. Just trim off the top to the desired height in May and again in September. trimmiing of the sides at the same time will keep the trees in shape.

Leylandi , for example can grow to 60 feet or more but with the treatment described above they can easily be restricted to a few feet.

Although there are a few genuinely dwarf conifers many sold as dwarfs do grow 2 -4 inches a year and can reach 8-10 feet given time. Elwoodi and boulevard are good examples of this

thanks anchorman. but most importantly ... could the roots be doing any damage to the foundations below the ground bearing in mind the conifer is planted only 2-3 feet from the house wall?

I think probably not as the tree is still small so if you don't let it get any bigger I'd guess it should be OK but this is just my guess. If in doubt take it out!

thanks again for the advice. would anyone else recommend i dig it out because the roots could damage the foundations? i know it's only 7 feet tall and can prune to keep the size in check but i can't control the root growth.

Hi, I had 2 of these,either side of some steps, 1 of them kept getting blown over with the wind as they are very shallow rooted, so I removed both of them, they were about 10 ft tall but the root ball would have fitted into a 14" pot, they're fibrous rooted and I dont think it would do much damage, but it's your choice, if you want to move it they're not hard to dig out, Derek.

thanks for that derek. didn't realise the rootball could be so small so nothing to worry about afterall! if the roots are fibrous i doubt if they could do any damage. so i'll leave it where it is and give it a good trim. thanks again everyone that replied.