pruning

Just a typical Sunday spent whacking at tree limbs.

before

after--note that I also ingeniously pruned our neighbor's house out of the picture

  

This weeping Higan cherry (Prunus subhirtella), cultivar unknown, had suckers all over and a mass of monstrous, criss-crossing branches.  Previous owners liked it to look like a large green mushroom during the summer (whereas I like better a cherry with graceful branches that touch the ground), so they went snip snip snip around the "skirt" of the cherry branches, without thinning the branches up top. Some damage was done over the years of this pruning regimen. For example, the overlarge claw-like branch at the left in these photos. I could not take it out because it would leave too big a hole, but I'd like to try to re-shape that side of the tree, eventually. Can you see the difference? I hope that it blooms well! I've only seen it looking bare, or like this: