Like a child with a pair of scissors and bangs that are just a tad too long... I set out to pruning the garden. Probably should've read up on things first. So... now I wait... to see what lives or dies. Among just about everything else growing in the garden... I'm afraid I may have been a bit too zealous with the Japanese Maple. How well do these survive a hearty pruning? I was driven by the fact that clearly no one - in at least 15 years tended to anything in these gardens and the tree had grown out in every direction looking like a gangly teenager. I'm hoping the pruning will encourage new growth/branches and fill it in a little closer to the main trunk. Thoughts? Before I set out on another path of destruction, I am wondering how/when I should prune a Golden Shower tree? Until last week I hated that tree - covered in moss - branches everywhere - looking like something that belongs in front of a haunted house. Then it bloomed and OH. WOW. The shape is off - looks like a bad hair day. But I will wait now at least until the blooms go away to trim things. When the blooms do go away the tree is covered in long stems (of the blooms) - should these be removed - left alone? And can I prune when it's green with leaves - or do I need to wait. Again, any thoughts appreciated.
Daizy, Ron B is right. A good pruning book is indispensable. There are many Japanese Maple experts here who will weigh in hopefully. I only have large ones, and I only prune A) dead branches and B) small ones down low that look peculiar. Otherwise I leave mine alone. The Golden Shower Tree, Cassia fistula, can in theory be pruned anytime, but as a rule, it's better to prune either A) after flowering or B) while it's dormant, like early spring before it buds. If you deadhead some flowers, you encourage more blooms, but I definitely wouldn't try to deadhead a whole big flowering tree......I'm not enough of a gymnast.
Hi Daizy, It sounds like we're in similar situations - we recently purchased a new-to-us home with a very mature yard that hadn't been maintained well in recent years. I don't think there are many plants you can actually kill by pruning. If the roots are healthy they'll find somewhere to push out new growth. I was concerned about a few roses that Hubby cut back rather harshly (before I put a halt to the killing of any innocent plants :)) but they're coming back. Everything else in the yard has been dealt with much more conservatively, with minimal pruning and trimming to eliminate any dying or dead branches. I kind of wish we had gone a little crazier a couple of months ago because it's a jungle out there! Now that things are starting to bloom, we'll wait. I usually have my phone out in the garden with me and will search for information right on the spot. I never would have thought of it before, but when you Google something, there will often be a youtube video that will give you more information than a picture in a book. We have so many roses that I'll probably see if I can find a good reference book for them but otherwise, the internet is great! Good luck! ps: Just make sure that when you Google your Golden Shower tree that you include the word "tree" in your search or you're likely to get a lot of stuff you don't want to see!
I think the opposite treatment may have been best for your Japanese maple. Instead of trying to encourage watersprouts from the main trunk, the inside could be lightly thinned if it is overly dense. It is generally a bad idea to try to control the overall height and spread of Acer palmatums, it is best to just go with whatever the expected size of your cultivar is and prune where needed to provide clearance for buildings, other plants etc. Most Japanese maples like a very light pruning, if any. If yours has been severely headed, try allowing it to recover for a year or two, then give it a corrective pruning to control the watersprouts and allow the rest of the tree to grow back out in a balanced manner.
I stand corrected. Thank you. Daizy, as far as the Laburnum anagyroides, if you want to prune, don't take more than 1/3 of the live branches, and just prune it lightly to make it look nice or take the shape you want. Feel free to cut off all the dead stuff. I, personally, would be more concerned about raking up all the leaf, flower, and seed pod litter because it's all poisonous. (i have 2 dogs)
Sea Witch THANK YOU for the tip on the poisonous nature of Laburnum anagyroides. I have a cat and sometimes a dog around. Is it hazardous on contact (i.e., human skin or dog/cat pads) - or only if ingested? My cat is mostly indoor but she does get the odd "supervised" outdoor excursion when I'm working in the garden... she loves to munch on fresh grass so she has something to throw up on my white carpets later. I'm convinced she does it purely for the entertainment value. The Laburnum anagryoide has some branches sticking out here and there - but I think a reasonably light pruning will bring it into balance. I'll wait until the blooms go. Did notice that it shoots up suckers from the ground like crazy. These must be from the seeds. The Japanese Maple... Well, hindsight is 20/20 I guess. How long will it take before i know if I've killed the poor thing? It's been about 3 days - so far don't see much in the way of bleeding or anything. I do intend to leave it alone now for quite awhile. Part of the problem was that it was growing into the conifers above it - and had been allowed to for too long. It is not a dense tree at all. Quite bare actually - not very many branches and those that are there are very long and gangly (4, 5, 6 feet) coming off the main trunk with no smaller branching or leaves until the last third of the branch. My rational for trimming it back so harshly was hoping it would sprout new growth on these branches closer in to the truck. I bought "The Pruning Book" today. Better late than never! :-D So if it's best that I just lay down the pruners and step away from the tree... what is the best way to encourage denser grow of small branches and leafs on this tree? Should I feed it something? I'm pretty sure it has never had the pleasure of any nutrients other than what it's managed to suck out of the existing soil. Is there a good book on Japanese Maples I should invest in? In any case, thanks for taking the time for the feedback - all good and new information for me. P.S. Iainyg... needless to say, my discovery of the "common" name of the tree has generated a lot of discussion and jokes.
Great you bought that book. Occasionally someone is allergic or sensitive to it from touch, but mainly it's just eating it that poisonous. Those are seedlings you're seeing, and it's a common complaint. The tree is sometimes referred to as a "dirty tree" that makes a mess with its litter and seedlings everywhere. Good luck with it!
I have found pruning japanese maples to be a very debated subject. The other day answered a question for me. I saw an Acer palmatum 'Rusyln in the Pink' in my yard which was nearly laying on the ground due to the fact that it had rained here very hard and the dense follage caused the branches droop so far that they hit the ground. To get the tree back to its shape i had to take out 1/3 of the folliage. Our colder wetter year here has cause more growth to my trees and i found that to keep the shape of my trees my pruners are constantly in use. The main thing to know is they trees are yours and if you want the ball look of your plants then the guy on youtube is correct when he uses his hedge pruners on a maple tree. The important part of any of it is using good sharp tools.
