I have 2 of these trees and you can prune almost anytime, they take well to it, and yes you will get a fuller tree...

You will be also surprised at how fast your red one grows.
I pruned mine this spring and it is now covering every thing around it. The new branch tips also twine around whatever they touch like a vine.

Sounds good! I had wanted to wait and see flowers first but my largest tree seems shy to bloom. Its about 10 feet tall now and still no flowers.

I second that, with the red. But I've never gotten it to bloom.

"I have a 20 ft ceiling but I don't want them getting THAT tall."

Bihai, although the person I am quoting doesn't say the 'how-to' do it, s/he gives a little sparkle of hope that a Bauhinia variegata can be kept at under twenty feet: "they are grown in Southern Calif as a Japanese Garden tree. the branches are trained to grow horizontal at about 8 to 10 ft high & kept pruned so the orchids can be enjoyed" ....written by a person named Strever (source of quote, and then here's the link to the photo submitted by person being quoted.)

Just wanted to pass along that little tidbit to you, Bihai. Btw, I'm not a member at that website, only a lurker. I have the Alba kind and hope to keep it 'shortenized' (lol) too! :o)

Hi
I'm sure you'll be able to prune it to whatever size you want but I'm not sure how it will affect the flowering.
I finally gave up and removed all but one tree from my shadehouse . mainly because the orchids love it. but it still requires constant pruning but I only have a ten foot roof . I tried an ixora but the epis. choked it too death lol. I'm considering one of those PVC trees as on the AOS site but haven't got that far.
One thing you can do is plant the trees in larger pots and bury them. Does help keep trees somewhat contrained . Sure makes them a lot easier to remove if necessary for sure.
In my small area i have so much problem with plant A shadowing plant B or produces so much shade that the epis don't do well.
There are a lot of dwarf forms of Bauhinia which might be ideal. Maybe some of the bush type Jacaranda?? Some mature under 20 feet. gary

sooth, that is EXACTLY the look I am going for.
I got the idea to use these in the greenhouse because when we go to the Universal Studios theme parks (usually Islands of Adventure) we will sometimes get that good deal they have at the Hard Rock Hotel and stay there overnight and they have a lot of these on the grounds there that are just gorgeous. They have kept them small, maybe 8-10 ft and they do have more of a horizontal growth habit. I guess the way to accomplish this is to pull selected branches over and weight them?

Bihai, I think you're on the right track by thinking about pulling branches over and weighting them. For more ideas on tying and anchoring.....next time you go into town, swing by Books~A~Million or Barnes and Noble. Have a look at the step-by-step diagrams on pages 56-57, and 92-93, of Jake Hobson's book, "Niwaki". The book is incredibly helpful!

Thanks for telling me about the ones at Universal Studios. I didn't know about that and I'd sure like to go see them.

I am going to order that book, it looks like what I am looking for also. Two things I would recommend, use the smaller Bauhinias such as B galpinii/punctata, B rufescens, B acuminata, B divaricata, B tomentosa, and B monandra and your pruning will be minimized. Also STERILIZE your pruners and saws between trees as Bauhinias are subject to gall disease.

Jerry

These are the bauhinia that I have collected over the past couple of years.
B. alba
B. mexicana
B. monandra
B. purpurea
B. tomentosa
B. galpinii

The tomentosa and mexicana I have in containers on my deck. They seem to be staying smaller and be slower growing. This is a photo of the mexicana, its in full bloom and has been for about a month. Its only about 3 ft tall. The flowers are very small, each only an inch ti an inch and a half tops and very delicate, white with a pale pink blush
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The all the others I have planted into the ground in the greenhouse and now need to start really addressing this pruning issue. Thank you for the tip on that book, I will look for it. If they can't match that amazon price at the bookstore I will order it.