I have a Brackens Brown Beauty in my front yard that is very beautiful and blooms very well. My problem is that I would like to prune some of the lowest branches to give it more of a tree shape. It was planted about 3 years ago. Is this something that is possible to do without damaging the tree?[/FONT]
Hi Juls, A lovely tree! You can prune the lower limbs, but a caveat here. The evergreen leaves are thick and don't decompose easily. Most people leave the lower branches and let the fallen leaves stay on the ground. Do read here about the root system of this tree as well. http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/woody/planting/Pages/maggrabbb/maggrabbb.htm If you do choose to prune: http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/woody/pruning/index.htm Here's what to look for with girdling roots. http://www.cnr.umn.edu/FR/extension/StemGirdlingRoots.html Newt
