After spending time working on my 2 Japanese Maple trees, and also reading up on pruning Japanese Maple Trees, I realized that there was a glut of serious entries on the subject of pruning these beauties.  Typical blog or articles on the topic typically say, “Let the Japanese maple just grow, and weed out the excessive growth”.  That really does not suffice on pruning this beauty, Unless you really want a simple oval shaped tree.

The Japanese Maple has some unique characteristics, which can make the tree really stand out as a specimen plant, if pruned properly.  My way of thinking was, where better to learn about pruning the Japanese Maple trees, then the Japanese?

With that in mind, I read up on Japanese Niwaki principles, specific to the Maple.  These are my pruning rules for the Acer palmatum, heavily influenced by the book: “Niwaki: Pruning, Training and Shaping Trees the Japanese Way” by Jake Hobson.  But the rules have been adjusted for better understanding, and Western Gardening practices.  But also, updated based on my own limited knowledge of pruning my own trees.

Pruning Rules

Glossary of Pruning Terms

1. Horizontal Branch – A branch growing horizontally, or even slightly upwards (to 45 degree).
2. Vertical Branch – A branch growing 45-90 degrees upwards.
3. Epicorm Growth – This is growth stemming from the center of the tree.  It is also called a branching sucker.  These are branches that are attached to the central root system.  They grow very fast, and move straight up.  If left alone, they can take over the tree, but they are unslightly, and off times, discolored.

General Structural Pruning Rules:

1. Prune for a reason.  Don’t cut any branch, unless there is a reason!
2. Prune for beauty / aesthetics – Make the tree fall into the shape you desire.
   1. Don’t allow the tree to decide what shape it will take, you can control the end result, so use that power for a healthier tree.
   2. It is always to the benefit of everyone, to allow the tree to take the shape it prefers.  So prune with that in mind, but do not allow this rule to stop you from cutting where you need to.
   3. There is a difference between pruning for Health (Arborist), and pruning for beauty.  Sometimes both methods have the same goal in mind.
3. Prune for size: Pruning can be used to control tree size.  A well pruned tree, over the years, can slow growth to 1/2 of original growth speed.Very useful in small gardens.
4. Prune for health: Moderate pruning, utilizing basic pruning principles, will always help the tree.

Pruning the Japanese Maple

Trunk Pruning

1. Prune out epicorm growth – They will take over the plant, and can be unsightly.  These branches can be identified by their discoloration, fast growth, and straight vertical growth.
2. Prune out all vertical growth
   1. Identify your trunks (ie – which vertical branches / trunks you wish to use as the foundational trunks for your tree).  For a Japanese Maple 4-5 is ussually enough for a nice branching tree.
   2. Remove all other vertical branches / trunks.
   3. If you don’t wish to prune a vertical branch for various reasons, then understand that this branch will eventually become a major tree trunk.

Primary Branch Training

The focus here is pruning branches that have grown off the main trunk and secondary trunks.  Don’t worry yet about what is happening on the branches.  We’re only looking at the trunk still.

1. The Japanese Maple has a branching habit, but if you want more branches, then “Top” the tree at a 2 bud node (See diagram below).
   1. The tree will then grow a 2 branch head
2. Prune symmetrical branches – The Japanese Maple Tree has a symmetrical branching structure, where 2 buds will grow, directly opposite of each other.
   1. To create a more natural look, prune out one branch/bud from a pair of symmetrical branches.
      1. If you prune out a left branch, then on the next Symmetrical branch, prune out the right branch.  This allows growth to be even on both sides of the trunk.
3. Prune vertical branches – Remove all vertical branches stemming from the trunk.
   1. The Japanese Maple Tree has a habit of producing a horizontal branch, then a vertical branch next.  Keep this in mind when hunting for vertical growth.
      1. Buds all look like they are vertical growth.  So don’t touch buds until after they have grown a little and exposed their growth tendency.
   2. High up on the tree, there will be no Horizontal branches.  This is a misnomer, as 45 degree angled branches, will eventually bend over (with leaf weight) into a horizontal branch.  So the rule of thumb is, lower on the tree, Horizontal branches are growing horizontally.  Higher on the tree, Horizontal branches are growing about 45 degrees upwards.
   3. There may be places, where you can’t remove vertical branches (Or don’t want to).  In those cases, prune the vertical branch down to the lowest acceptable horizontal branch or bud.  The point here is, you are stopping vertical growth, and leaving a horizontal branch, ensuring future growth is moving horizontal only.
   4. When done properly, you will end up with a Japanese Maple Tree that has strong vertical lines in the trunck and secondary trunks, and all branches wil be moving horizontally.  There will be no or few crossed branches stemming from the cross meeting of a vertical branch and the branch above it.  This promotes health via: More air and light inside the tree structure.

Individual Branch Training

Now, Moving from the trunks, work on each branch individually.  Start from the bottom of the tree, and work on each branch individually as you move up.

1. On each branch, remove any vertical leaf or branch.
2. Remove opposing symmetrical branches.  Ensure that as you do this, the branch has even growth.  If you have 5 branches pointing left, you try for 5 pointing to the right (or at least 3-4 pointing to the right).
   1. The only place this is not the case, is symmetrical up/down branches.  In this case, you remove all vertical (upward branches), and leave the down facing branches.
3. Now step back and look at each individual main branch from several feet away.  Look straight on at the branches, then look at the same branch from the side.
   1. Straight on, the branch should be cascading gently downward.  There should not be any vertical protrusions breaking the wave.
      1. If there are, it means you missed vertical growth, and you should prune this vertical growth out.
   2. Same applies from the side-view.  There should be no breaks in the smooth cascade.
   3. A good simile for the branch, is your hand resting on a broom.  All fingers are loosely pointing out horizontally, and cascade downwards near the finger tips.  There are no fingers pointing up or at an angle.  Your Japanese Maple Tree branches should be the same.

End Result

When trained in this way, you will end up with a unique Japanese Maple Tree, which does not look like a big round Maple Tree when mature.  It will be a tree with character: Selective branches, that wind gracefully downward.  There will be portions of trunk exposed due to missing branches, further enhancing it’s beauty.

Compare this to an unpruned Japanese Maple Tree (Acer Palamtum) or a minimally pruned Japanese Maple Tree   At full maturity, it is large, circular, with criss crossed branches.  It’s big and unwieldy, great for bird nests, but not a true specimen tree in your Garden.

“The technique of niwaki is more about what to do with a tree than the tree itself. While Western gardeners enjoy experimenting with a wide range of different plants, Japanese gardeners experiment through training and shaping a relatively limited set of plants.”

My focus on Niwaki stems from my recognition of the total failure of Western gardening principles in actually pruning a tree to look stunning.  The Western approach (and it is very beautiful in its own straight forward fashion) relies simply on understanding what the Plant wants to do, and then helping it along in this approach.

But the Japanese method seems to be more about creating graceful lines and curves with Trees.  The effect can be stunning in it’s own right.  I’m not one to really enjoy stunting a tree (aka Bonsai), but I have a real belief that heavy pruning and guiding branches will lead to beautiful, sparesly branched trees.

Unfortunatly, there doesn’t seem to be much out there on Niwaki.  THe only book worth mentioning on Amazon is the following:

Niwaki - Japanese Pruning - By Jake Hobson

Niwaki: Pruning, Training and Shaping Trees the Japanese Way

You can also find this book on Google Books here:

GOOGLE Books – online version of Book Niwaki – Pruning, Training, and shaping Trees

Embedded Version:

If anyone finds other books on Niwaki – Japanese Gardening and Pruning, please comment below.

Roses

1. Kazalink

Season to Prune: Summer

Type: Damask Rose

Blooms on old wood; prune after flowering

This plant can get over 10 feet tall.

Link: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/52069/

http://rose-gardens.suite101.com/article.cfm/how_to_prune_established_roses

2. Seven Sisters – Climber

Season to Prune: Summer

Once blooming climber.Should be tied to hang in an arch over a fence: Will produce much flowers.  Vertical growth inhibits flowers.

Prune after first bloom.  Will encourage new growth.

3. New Dawn Rose – Climber

Season to Prune: Fall

New Dawn flowers on new and old wood.  So just leave it alone.  Prune for size and shape in the Fall.

“New Dawn reblooms. Removing the spent bloom, called deadheading, should be done in the smallest possible way with this rose if you want the best rebloom. The farther down the flowering cane you cut, the longer it will take to rebloom. Remove the least possible amount of rose, just the flower head, unless, of course, the rose is in the way. If that is the case, tie it!

New Dawn is a Large Flowered Climber and will bloom and old and new wood. However, for best rebloom this year, you should deadhead as lightly as possible. Hedge trimmers won’t do it lightly.”

Link: http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/roses/msg0708014015220.html

4. ?

Climbers: Clematis

Link: http://www.clematis.hull.ac.uk/new-pruning.cfm

1. Comtesse De Bouchaud

Season to Prune: Spring

Clematis Pruning Group: Light prune (Group 3)

2. H J Young

Clematis Pruning Group: Light prune (Group 2)

Climbers: Wisteria

Wisteria Lawrence

Season to Prune: Early Spring then later in Summer

“The first pruning should be in early Spring before the new flower buds are too developed. The stems of a wisteria vine can grow to be as thick as a wrist so careful pruning with a pruning saw may be required. It is best to try to open up the previous years’ growth to make room for new shoots. The second pruning should be done in Summer, this is more of a tidy-up process than anything else. If it is necessary to severely prune a wisteria remember the newly pruned vine will burst into growth and will send shoots in all directions. It may be necessary to prune some of these also.

Link: http://gomestic.com/gardening/wisteria-a-climbing-vine/

Hydrangea

1. Cityline Rio – Macrophylla “Ragra” (provenwinners.com)

Season to Prune: Summer

“Bigleaf hydrangea should be pruned as soon as the flowers have faded. You should begin to see new growth coming in from the base of the plant. To keep the plant vigorous, selectively prune out the dead and weaker stems, both old and new. Don’t prune out all the old wood, since this is what will keep flowering as the new growth matures.”

Pruning: If pruned in winter or spring, you’ll end up cutting off the flower buds.  These grow in during the fall.  So prune in the summer after the flowers start to die off.

Link: http://gardening.about.com/od/treesshrubs/a/Prune_Hydrangea.htm

2. Cityline Vienna – Macrophylla “Vienna Rawi”

Season to Prune: Summer

Same as above

3. Peegee – Paniculata Grandiflora

Season to Prune: Winter or Spring

Flowers on new growth.  Prune in Winter.

Pruning: Right before winter, cut off the flowers (They look ugly in winter), and thin out heavy growth.  These can grow to over 25 feet, so be aggresive.  Peegee can be cut down to the ground, they will grow back.

Link: http://www.gardenguides.com/78776-prune-hydrangea-paniculata-grandiflora.html

Misc

1. Russian Sage

Season to Prune: Spring

“Prune Russian sage back in the spring after new growth has emerged. Cut back to the lower three to four shoots to encourage more shoots to form from the base.”

Link: http://www.ehow.com/how_5098918_prune-russian-sage.html

2. Rose of Sharon

Season to Prune: Spring

Rose of Sharon flowers in mid to late summer, it sets its flower buds on the current season’s new growth.

To encourage the shrub to produce more flower buds, prune the plant in late winter before it breaks dormancy.

Link: http://www.azcentral.com/style/hfe/outdoors/articles/2005/09/08/20050908sharon0908.html

3. Elderberry

Season to Prune: Spring

For the first two or three years in your garden you should forgo the fruit and prune Black Lace^TM Sambucus back hard after blooming to promote a dense, shapely form.

link: http://www.provenwinners.com/plants/detail.cfm?photoID=7751

4. Lilacs

Season to Prune: Summer

Pruning should be done immediately after the flowers have died off. Cut small suckers and shoots at or near ground level, or where it comes out of the main trunk. Leave a few strong and healthy new stalks each year, especially if you are planning to trim back old wood.

link: http://www.gardenersnet.com/lilac/lilac02.htm

5. Heuchera (Coral Bells)

Season to Prune: Spring

Cut off the stems to the base of the plant to encourage air.

Link: http://www.monkeysee.com/play/9376-how-to-prune-heuchera

Hedges

Boxwood “Green Velvet”

Season to Prune: Early Spring

Stay away from the tip or main trunk.  Prune the rest to encourage branching.

Link: http://www.ehow.com/how_4489307_prune-boxwood.html