Japanese Style Pruning of Thirty Year Old “Tamukayama” specimen.

My newest specialty is pruning in the Japanese style for trees in the landscape.

Japanese Maples are among the favorite trees in our area for plantings around our homes, and no wonder! They look fabulous, grow without any effort, and keep their colors true in all kinds of weather. However, because of our vigorous growing season and in credible soil conditions, they often get top heavy and weighted down with new growth in the summer months. I am learning to style in the Japanese manner, to keep landscape trees in check and reveal their “inner” beauty to the person who stops to appreciate their graces. The homeowner gave me her trust by allowing this styling while she was on vacation. Her comment upon returning was:  “We LOVE to see the structure–It’s just GORGEOUS!” She is right. This species has amazing twists and turns that follow the contour of the roots as they develop, giving the tree magnificent and complex branching structure over time.