Vertrees/Gregory, JAPANESE MAPLES (Timber Press) has a discussion on pruning to control size you may find useful. Brickell/Joyce, THE AMERICAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY PRUNING & TRAINING (DK Publishing) and Brown, THE PRUNING OF TREES, SHRUBS AND CONIFERS (Timber Press) are good pruning books that include Japanese maples in the trees and shrubs covered. These describe pruning and training Japanese maples to be used as specimens in normal circumstances such as informal landscapes. If you are instead looking for information on pruning these in a Japanese manner for a formal Japanese garden or facsimile it may be best to look for books on Japanese gardening and Japanese gardening techniques.
Thank you for the suggestion. I am looking for a book that is a little more specific to Japnase Gardens. Mona
There is nothing "magical" about pruning Japanese maples. I'm amazed each year at the number of people who call me about pruning them, thinking there is something special. Japanese maple pruning follows the same basic rules and strategy as all other general tree pruning. So your best bet, is not look for the best "Japanese pruning book", but to find the "best pruning book" available. And you may want a couple of books. One of the few things that may make them a bit tricky, is that they are a bit brittle, but so are several other trees.
M.D. Vaden, Would there be some that you would suggest that would not be too technical? I have reserved the ones above so I can check them out before I purchase them. Thanks, Mona
The last 2 listed by Ron B might be good to look at in a book store. An important aspect of a pruning book, is not neccessarily how good the information is, as is how well it conveys the information to you via diagrams and writing. See if you can look at a couple of books first, and see which ones out of any recommended fit your understanding. I have not owned a pruning book in over a decade. I could virtually write one at this point for general pruning. But I personally believe that a video would far excel any book, because it's the closest visual aid to having a coach or trainer present. But I'm not ready to do a video right now. And I have not watched any videos. There is one video out - maybe a VHS or DVD, but I forget who did it. Hume maybe? The cool thing about training, that a book does not have room for, is showing somebody how a tree can have several proper options for pruning, and those can be explained in a hands-on demonstration. Do you have a bookstore to browse through up there comparable to Powell's in Portland, Oregon?
V.D. I will take your good advice and hit the book stores. Understand a little more now than before. Thanks, Mona