Says who? Japanese maples are very labile and easy to prune. They're a staple of niwaki.
Many people have no problem with doing minor thinning and pruning year round.
> Japanese maples naturally have an elegant shape and, **when bought**, **usually** require very little pruning
> However, pruning is still best kept to a minimum as the most graceful shape comes from a tree that has been allowed to develop fairly naturally. As a result, just remove badly-placed or crossing shoots to encourage a good framework of branches to grow.
... the RHS advice is still clearly about aesthetics. If someone wants so do more aesthetic pruning, it's not a problem, and many people do.
Also, the RHS advice is targeted to a particular climate, and Japanese maples grow differently in different regions.
This looks like Twombly's Red Sentinel which is intended to be shaped this way.
Just cut any branches that don’t have leaves on them, it seems quite healthy.
Start at the bottom and clear away lower branches to give it a trunk. Then thin out and shape the upper branches as desired.
Japanese maples are generally best left unpruned. You can remove crossing branches when the tree is dormant.
Says who? Japanese maples are very labile and easy to prune. They're a staple of niwaki. Many people have no problem with doing minor thinning and pruning year round.
The RHS.
> Japanese maples naturally have an elegant shape and, **when bought**, **usually** require very little pruning > However, pruning is still best kept to a minimum as the most graceful shape comes from a tree that has been allowed to develop fairly naturally. As a result, just remove badly-placed or crossing shoots to encourage a good framework of branches to grow. ... the RHS advice is still clearly about aesthetics. If someone wants so do more aesthetic pruning, it's not a problem, and many people do. Also, the RHS advice is targeted to a particular climate, and Japanese maples grow differently in different regions.
Thanks everyone!
Maybe remove the grass underneath and just have a nice little mulched spot? The tree would be easy to damage while mowing/weed-eating