I am so upset!! My yardman asked me if I wanted to pay him extra to trim a few bushes around my yard. We spoke about what he was going to do ahead. Never did I think I would have to go out and guard my Japanese Maple, as it wasn't even mentioned to be trimmed. My daughter and I are heartbroken!! Our special tree, that we thoroughly discuss between ourselves every branch we trim...our special tree, that we have watched grow into a beautiful shape from 2ft to now maybe 10ft...was lopped off into a canopy. We are in tears. Is there any hope in will ever return to it's majestic shape?
If you are saying it got a salad bowl haircut it will grow new branches down below the cut level. It won't happen overnight, but it will happen. If you are instead saying it was topped ("lopped off into a canopy" doesn't mean anything specific to me) or otherwise had the main structure of older branches brutalized, that is a different matter.
If your Japanese Maple is healthy, it will start to resprout from the bad pruning job.....You will have to shape the growth into your "specific liking", and it will take a few seasons to get it back to its original shape...... Chalk this experience as a "learning lesson".....next time, make sure they are a professional............... Ian
Never trust anyone that doesn't know at least as much as you. It sounds like you will recover, but never let anyone that doesn't understand and respect these trees near yours. I do all of my gardening, I learned the hard way. I've thought about offering a service, but realized a lot of people, if not most, really don't know the difference. I think you have learned this lesson as I did, but anyone else...
PLBR, I feel for you! How horrible. Is your yard man self-employed or does he work for a company? If the latter, get ahold of the owner/manager and let him/her know what happened. If the former, have a talk with him---I know that it is difficult to be calm when one is upset, but I think that it is important for you to make clear the reason for your unhappiness, and to establish guidelines so that the future holds no more disasters! If you can stand it, perhaps you could post a photo or two of your maple.
Thanks to all my Botanical loving friends who have given me great advice, and eased our minds a bit. Our lawn man has had to hear my daughter and I's grief and lectures about our tree many times over now. I tried to educate him about how he needs to educate himself about each tree he prunes, and how each tree has a style of it's own. It seems he thought they all should look like umbrellas. Hopefully it didn't go in one ear, and out the other. I only wanted him to trim the things we weren't able to do. I would never have let him touch our Japanese Maple. I'll try to find a before photo and take an after photo.
