Dormant season, after the leaves have gone. It'll be fine
Phil J

I would be selective, though. Pollarding it will probably stop bloom for a year or two.

That was quick! Thanks Phil.

Thanks for the prompt answer. What do you mean by selective? I have never had blooms.

It looks a bit young for blooms, Barbardn--maybe next year, maybe the year after. You might try feeding it tomato food this fall to encourage buds.

Selective just means shortening the longest limbs to side branches, not chopping everything back to large branches. Hope that helps.

Do not pollard the tree. I have yet to see a good looking pollarded tree, quite hideous - yuk!

I am so jealous of your Judas tree.
ps. flowers bloom directly from the branches.

Thanks to everyone that answered my question about the Judas tree. I will be selective when I cut back in the winter. I will let you know how it goes. I too love the tree, especially the shape and the red tinges of the leaves. Has anyone got a picture of the blooms?

Go to google and type in Judas tree then select images.

I had the same question and looked up the answer in the encyclopedia of the RHS as well as BBC gardening tips. Apparently it is best to prune the Judas tree in spring after flowering and just before the new shoots come and not in late autumn. The flowers develop on the wood from the previous year and hence it makes sense not to prune in fall or winter.