Japanese Maple

Doing a simple google.com search on keywords "crimson queen japanese maple pruning", I came upon the following:

Can't tell you about the Bloodgood, although making a short fence around it of chicken wire might do the trick.

Pruning Japanese maples, specially the smaller lacelaf varieties like Crimson Queen, is something you want to take on with a good deal of care and forethought. Most of these smaller grafted forms need very little pruning, other than to remove dead wood. They develop very sculptural forms over time which unthoughtout pruning can mangle. It is best to site them where their spread (which can be considerable) is unencumbered. If you do need to reduce their spread, you want to carefully cut back branches to a joint from which another branch emerges, preferrably on the top of the branch. This will allow the foliage to gracefully cover the pruned cut. Pruning should be done while the tree is dormant, but before February when the sap starts moving again. J. maples are heavy bleeders and you want to avoid pruning when the sap is actively moving. One can also prune lightly in June - sap tends to be more sluggish then.

pam - gardengal

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