Yes, if you are going to be sure it is well above the walk when it gets out that far you are going to have to start working on the lowest part of the crown being higher than it is now.

Remove the entire tree, now while it is still small and easy to do.

A tree like that will not only shade out your entire little garden but will produce a massive root system that will suck all the moisture out much to the dismay of what you are trying to grow underneath.

Depending on your zone, you could plant a small Japanese maple further back that will add some shade, color and back drop and be less likely to doom your planting site.

I agree that you want to get the branches above the height of the people using the side walk, also that will allow you to mow under the tree.

As for branches that grow vertically from the top of a limb. I always remove them, so the air flow inside the tree does not become blocked. I also use a hatchet to remove all of the small leaf bunches that appear on the trunk and branches that I can reach. I always considered it giving the tree a shave ;-)

how tiny is your lot .... that it sounds like that little garden is your only option ???

if you were to spend much of any time.. in the hosta forum ...you would learn that ALL maples are hard to garden under ... eventually .. in tree time ...

it basically boils down to aggressive water sucking roots.. that eventually ... in the decades to come .... [thats tree time] ..... have the potential to out compete plants under them ...

there is also the norway type.. whose canopy is so thick ... that it can be very dark under large ones.. that plants under struggle ..

i dont know about yours specifically .... and dont have time to research it ... maybe other can speak to this ...

i dont recommend a hatchet for pruning .. lol .. if it works for him.. great ... but you will need a good pair of hand shears ... for general gardening ... so invest in those ...

lifting the canopy for height.. is not really an issue ... just make the cuts properly ... first remove length/weight .. then make a surgical cut at the trunk .... leaving the branch collar ... a cheap folding TREE SAW ... is worth the ten bucks or so ... for the little pruning you might do.. this is good enough ...

https://www.walmart.com/ip/7-Inch-Folding-Utility-Saw-Triple-Edge-Razor-Tooth-Portable-Saw-with-Gear-Lock-by-bogo-Brands/915337201

trees are the backbones of the garden .... for the decades to come ... and they need to be chosen and planted so they can start growing .... if you wait ... you are just loosing time .... so you should think about this one in particular.. and decide if you want to deal with it for the decades to come ... and IF you decide you want something else... just make the decision.. and do it ....replace it ...

and.. imo.. since you are replacing one for the other .. mother earth net zero.. so no tree hugging ...

as to symmetry .... thats your opinion ... and the tree doesn't really care what you think ... it will assume a shape itself ... you do not need to do anything about it ... but if you insist.. you can ... i hope you can see the difference in what i am saying ... i'll try again ... dont fix what isnt broken .. unless you have a legitimate goal .. and BTW ... removal of broken branches is a legit goal ...

ken

ps: just an aside .... hanging a bird feeder over a garden bed.. usually results in a lot of weeding in the bed below .. due to dropped seed .. i eventually moved mine to being over grass .. then eventually over the driveway ... and then eventually ... lol ... quit feeding the birds ... lol

I tried to answer this post yesterday but was unable to do so for unknown reasons.

Remove the tree entirely.

A maple like yours will not only shade out a small garden like yours but will develop a massive root system that will rob all moisture from the plants you are trying to grow underneath.

Depending on your zone, you may want a tree that is smaller, planter further back for color and backdrop to you garden. Possibly Japanese maple?

I would question the need to remove this tree. Acer glabrum is not a big maple by any stretch of the imagination and does not produce a wide canopy that will shade out everything underneath. It is most often described as a large shrub or small tree and often with low branching or multistemmed trunks. And it does not have an overly aggressive or 'massive' root system so underplanting is very possible. In fact, it is much more like gardening with a Japanese or vine maple, to which it is much more closely related than to any of the much larger growing eastern NA species.

It is still too far 'over the top' of the garden. A tree that gets 20 to 30 ft will have a considerable crown spread. And with a garden that small, it won't have to match a larger mature maples root mass to be a moisture hog.

If it was 10 to 15 ft. further back, along the fence, it would be much more doable imo.

Pretty sure this is Acer grandidentatum, but same difference. This tree is slow-growing and won't get all that large.

Lots of JM's will grow to 20-30 feet. And yet are used routinely in smaller gardens as they are not considered large growing shade trees.

If this an Acer grandidentatum and not A. glabrum, then I retract my comments :-) Two very different trees with very different growth habits!!

According to This Site:

"The Glow maple consists of Bigtooth Maple stock grafted onto Sugar Maple rootstock. When mature, it is smaller and more compact than the Sugar Maple. The mature height ranges between 20’ to 30’ and the spread reaches between 15’ to 30’. The growth rate is slow to medium and the canopy develops into a tight, oval shape."

So if it is the 'Schmidt' variety, it will be a smaller version of a Acer saccharum.

I feel that in a small garden, a tree of any kind, with roots directly in my garden, will be a watering problem with other things growing there. I'm for more of an 'offset' version' with the tree to one side.

That way, you'll still get partial midday sun and either morning or afternoon exposure. Probably in that 8-10 hr. range. Perfect! :-)

I see my first post about removing the tree, suddenly appeared here today. I tried 17 times and even rebooted my machine, still nothing. Now I see it but didn't before I posted here today. Oh well....

Being it's at the far end it could make a difference also.

I should add, our sandy soil could be more problematic than other types. We have extended dry spells during the summer and I've seen raised bed gardens become unusable because the roots from trees at a considerable distance, find the bed and clog it over time.

Not sure what you have at your place but I'm sure I'm different than GG's red clay and higher moisture levels that they enjoy in the PNW.

Trees near gardens don't work that well around here.

The tree has a a drip line, I’m not sure how much water it get. Seems to be doing fine. I’m outside of Salt Lake City. Soil is a terrible clay void of any organic material basically, though I’ve amended somewhat by top dressing regularly.

I love what you’ve done with your front bed. Nice work!

" Soil is a terrible clay void of any organic material "

Ya, should not be near as bad for roots to be propagating through the soil.

Nice garden! :-0

Your garden looks great!

What are the trees in the parkway?

Thanks, the garden has been a work in progress for sometime. I’m almost “finished”. Next spring I plan on tackling the parking strip as I’d like to flip it. Not much of a lawn fan.

The street trees are some sort of red maple. Not my favorite, but they are selected and planted by the city. The trees vary by street by street in my neighborhood.

http://www.jfschmidt.com/introductions/rockymtnglow/index.html Seems like a pretty decent tree. I've seen a Bigtooth maple in central Texas by where I work and it had very nice red fall color. They are pretty slow grower from what I can tell. I'd keep that tree if it doesn't grow into a monster tree like Silver Maple or others with such aggressive root system. There's Lost Maple Forest a few hours from me that is Bigtooth maple trees that got separated from sugar maples to the east. There's also Mexican Sugar maple to the south of Texas that seem to do well in Texas as well. They are pretty fascinating trees.

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