coûteux mes chers amis, mais oui.............

sounds very interesting DD - I need to go around shaping mine a bit more or better - be nice to see how you get on with this

Thanks Paul, we are going to try it on a very established Arbutus Unedo, because it is very dense.......when the weather gets warmer....

will be nice - I have been starting pruning some bushes to make them more tree like - I feel some look loads better and prettier that way . Some bushy ones get scruffy in smaller gardens or packed ones

Aha, interesting. I have always done this with my trees and shrubs, particularly with Rhodys and Acers....it makes all the difference.

Interesting blog. I always try to open the middle of trees/shrubs up in order to let air circulate so I guess most pruning techniques have crossovers and work on the same main principle !

That's true, but I think that raising the crown is often overlooked in the uk, missing the opportunity to grow more plants underneath the shrubs Paul. Mind you, I am a bit of a demon with the secateurs...not always totally sucessfully! lol ;)

Trial and error Karen!!! I often have trees/shrubs tha have been neglected for many years and then their owners expect me to perform miracles ! the best time to train a tree into the shape we want is when it's still young!!!

I've done this with an acer because it wanted to be a big spreading shrub with branches down to the ground and it simply covered too much space and was overpowering for my small garden, so over the years I've removed lower branches and turned it into a tree shape. It's a good technique and it does mean you can fit more plants in underneath so a win/win situation!:)

Yes, Louisa, and,of course, the more we prune /trim the top the more they shoot at the bottom, but as you say ,it's best to remove lower shoots in order to keep the tree shape and grow things underneath!!

My Patio Roses are thriving in my horrible clay soil, covering a big area easily. I am a bit nervous about controlling them. Have just nipped off the ends of the
8 foot long branches - hoping for the best. Its difficult to hoe underneath them to get all the weed growth out.
On the council garden down the road the gardeners have cut them right back. It would be good to have the right advice about this problem.

Diane, I believe it is very 'difficult' to kill a rose by pruning it, so go for it......(Karen takes deep breath and waits to be shot down in flames.....;))

Bon blog ...;o)
added to GoYpedia Pruning :o)

Diane I am on the same clay soil as you and have to heavily prune my Roses to keep them under control.
Dotty I have used this technique on a few shrubs in my garden Including a large Ceanothus it is a good way to pack more plants in a small space.

This is something we must take more seriously we have been prone to letting shrubs get to large we then have to hard prune them which in turn takes time for them to recover :o(

I was taught to do that by my mum, I picked up lots of her methods over the years, she always said "Remember to let the light in" I do it when pruning my fruit trees, taking out the centre and any branches that are crisscrossing, I also do it to my shrub roses it works for me, have to say I also use the stand back and study method, there is always the odd one that gets overlooked until one walks away, lol.......

Allons , mes amis .

Thanks for all your comments, have been putting in to practice what I have been preaching, pruned some of our older roses right back, so they have two choices now!! all will be revealed in a blog soon.......

I found this interesting Dd as I'm not very good at pruning. I did visit Fourseasons gardens a year or so ago and they pruned just about everything twice a year. I'm just going to go for it lol, I'll google this book thanks :-))