Crazy Girl and Mother

Crazy Girl - 2015

I began working on Crazy Girl in 2014 and then I was able to get a photo of her when she had some color change going on.

I pruned her with what I call a jagged cut. I don't do so often, but it worked well with the almost symmetrical tiered lateral branch structure she has. Not all japanese maples do and that is one of the wonderful things about these shrubs and trees.

Crazy Girl - 2020

This property is actually where I cut my teeth on japanese maples and the property owner is the one who one spurred me to do what has evolved into so much more. Pruning is still one of my favorite things to do and japanese maples are still way up on my list of subjects.

The one japanese maple I spend less and less time with, is Mother. She is over 25 years old and was planted by the owner when she was barely over a foot tall. She does a lot of this and it has paid off.

Mother is about at her terminal height and width, but over the last few years I have been pruning in and under her, raising her canopy to about six to seven feet while also removing young water sprouts each season, which are now practically non-existent.

But, she still gets my attention, along with the many various other species of japanese maples on this property.

Mother

Mother