I was going to prune my flamingo trees this weekend but just noticed that they’ve started to bud! Have I left it too late now or can I still do a hard prune?
I would wait another couple of months until the chance of frost etc. has passed. This is because there will almost always be a little bit of dieback, in warm weather it is minimal, if it is very cold dieback can be quite substantial. Always prune back to an outward-facing bud. alan544 said:
I was going to prune my flamingo trees this weekend but just noticed that they’ve started to bud! Have I left it too late now or can I still do a hard prune?
@Joyce Goldenlily so sorry I didn't reply sooner. Only just seen this! Glad I took your advice due to that cold spell and snow we've just had. With regards to the pruning, would it be okay to go hard with the pruning. I feel as though they are getting a little too big for the area they're in.
@Joyce Goldenlily so sorry I didn't reply sooner. Only just seen this! Glad I took your advice due to that cold spell and snow we've just had. With regards to the pruning, would it be okay to go hard with the pruning. I feel as though they are getting a little too big for the area they're in.
I would still wait a bit, still time for another late cold snap. I would suggest you begin gently. Stand back and really study your trees. Notice where there are branches, no matter how thin, growing back into the centre of the tree. Also note any that are crossing other branches, Cut them out back to a strong stem. Then look at the height of the tallest branches and where you would like the top of the trees to be. Cut them back to a few inches lower than your preferred height, to just above a bud. Do the same with the width. Then stand back and study your trees again. If you are happy with the size and shape of them, job done. If you feel you still want them smaller, or they are still too dense, repeat the exercise. Thinning rather than hacking out thick branches. Little and often. Willow are tough and grow quickly so you will probably have to give your trees an annual light trim to keep them within bounds. Think of the natural shape of trees to avoid turning them into mop heads. When growing on trees, you should spend as much time studying the shape of them as the amount of time you spend actually cutting branches. The end result should look as if the trees have never been touched. You may even decide you have chosen the wrong trees for the location. It has been done before, many time! Good luck. It is very satisfying to make a good job of pruning and shaping a tree.
I cut mine back pretty hard every Spring. It's currently expanded to be best part of 10' across and I'll cut that back to an absolute maximum of 6', possibly less. I understand what @Joyce Goldenlily is saying regarding natural shape, but most 'Flamingo' are already unnatural because they are grafted onto a bare stem. I retain the mop head look as, for me, anything else looks even worse.
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alan544 said:
I would suggest you begin gently.
Stand back and really study your trees. Notice where there are branches, no matter how thin, growing back into the centre of the tree. Also note any that are crossing other branches, Cut them out back to a strong stem. Then look at the height of the tallest branches and where you would like the top of the trees to be. Cut them back to a few inches lower than your preferred height, to just above a bud. Do the same with the width.
Then stand back and study your trees again.
If you are happy with the size and shape of them, job done. If you feel you still want them smaller, or they are still too dense, repeat the exercise. Thinning rather than hacking out thick branches. Little and often.
Willow are tough and grow quickly so you will probably have to give your trees an annual light trim to keep them within bounds.
Think of the natural shape of trees to avoid turning them into mop heads. When growing on trees, you should spend as much time studying the shape of them as the amount of time you spend actually cutting branches.
The end result should look as if the trees have never been touched.
You may even decide you have chosen the wrong trees for the location. It has been done before, many time!
Good luck. It is very satisfying to make a good job of pruning and shaping a tree.