Honestly, I’d deal with the dandelions first or they’ll be everywhere including the lawn. it’s not a job to put off. There’s no hurry on the maple. They shouldn't really need any pruning at all although yours is too close to the house and can’t attain its natural shape.

Are you sure that’s a JM? I think I see pink flowers, which would suggest Prunus cistena, purple leaf sand cherry.

I don't care about dandelions; they are good for pollinators. We have 6 acres and half of that is going to be a wildflower meadow. :)

It definitely has maple leaves and not flowers. There are pink flowers on the bush behind to the left; it's some kind of magnolia.

My parents have a japanese maple that looks like a mini tree. I'm not sure why this one looks so shrubby. Improper pruning? Too close to the house? I don't want to just cut him down, but I know he is not doing well.

Here's another photo from a different angle; maybe this helps more?

we need close pix of the leaves for an ID before we go any further ... i also suspect something other than JM ...

and also.. nest time you are there.. spend a few minutes looking out that window ... and decide if you want that large a tree blocking that window .. maybe you do.. but maybe you dont ... but that would be a good starting point on what to do with the tree ...

its easy to prune a plant.. when you can define.. in words .. what your goal is .. and then once you can do that.. you just go at the plant and make it so ...

since we cant see the rest of the front of the house.. its hard to give you ideas as to how it should or can fit in the overall landscape ...

also .. these prior peeps .. whats the deal .. whats the point of all the green blobs touching the hosue.. did you have no concept about the future growth potential .. planting them that close.. or was their goal just planting something that needed to be sheared a couple times per year ...

is suspect.. you might be further ahead.. getting rid of those also ...it doesnt have to all be this year.. but in the years to come.. when you finish the inside of the house.. it might be time to fix all the problems they left you outside the house ...

welcome to the forums ... its usually helps to know where you are.. big city name ...

kken

ps: polliinators. schmollinators.l.. if you leave those dandylions.. you will have twice as many after they seed.. and after summer bloom.. 4 times as many ... and by next spring.. 8 times as many .... do NOT come up with reasons to leave them ... you are creating a nightmare for later ... this is not the horse pasture out back.. its the front of your new castle ... and you dont want new neighbors walking by and pointing and giggling about your flower choices out there.. lol ... and do understand... i realize you have indoor priorities right now.. im just trying to dissuade you of the value of weeds in front of your house...

pps: leave the shorter stuff around the bottom of the purple plant .. one of the reasons that i think it might not be JM is that many shrubs do such ... and thru rejuvenation pruning... you would cut all the tall stuff off.. and let the short ones grow into a more pleasing shape or form ... but you probably wouldnt want to do that with a JM ... thats why ID is imperative .. there is also a possibility that it was a grafted plant .. and the low stuff is different than the tall stuff .. regardless.. no more haircuts..

Ken, can you not enlarge the photo? If you can - and do - you will confirm there is NO doubt the plant in question is a Japanese maple!! The new growth unfurling is unmistakable!

So please, no suggestions for "rejuvenation pruning" - you are correct that is not something one wants to do with a JM. And it is not grafted. I already explained how that was not the case with this tree and why.

Definitely JM.

To my eye it looks like two different types of leaves suggesting it may be sprouting from below the graft.

tj

yes .... i enlarged it.. and i still cant really focus on it ... i see your suggestion of such ... but it shouldnt be that big a deal to confirm it ... bottom line.. i just wanted to get OP out there and take a closer look at it ...

i still dont know if i would want it blocking the window view ... but i dont know whats across the street.. lol ...

as i said many times.. when i bought my first house.. i was all into saving all the plants for the history of the house.. and trying to make them all pretty again ... and after a 5 year nightmare of dealing with the prior owners very poor decisions.. i finally got rid of the last POS ... and it was the happiest day in that garden in 5 years ..

and then i proceeded to plant my own mistakes .. and move.. so the next owner could deal with them.. lol ...

dont keep a POS .. [probably should be POCarp in my case] ... just because it was there ... im sure you didnt keep the paisley shag carpeting.. so why the ugly tree out front ....

that said.. you can easily tame it.. if you have the will.. and a few years ... and pruning shears and a tree saw ... its not hard .. but its not fast ...

ken

The lower leaves look just the same to me :-)

To best of my ability to see from the photo, there does not appear to be any sign of a single trunk but rather a cluster of stems emerging from the root crown. It would be highly unusual for a multi-trunked JM to be grafted. In all my years of gardening and nursery work and the hundreds of JMs I've handled or sold, I have never seen a multi-trunked specimen that was grafted. Again, this looks like a seed grown JM - no graft, no ID.

It also does not need "taming". Nor do you want to approach any JM with a saw....unless it is a very mature, established tree that needs a branch removed for some reason. Or you plan to chop the whole thing down. Japanese maples require a very light hand with any pruning.

You might want to post this in the Maples forum where some serious JM folks hang out and you can get experienced pruning advice. Some people just do not understand the nuances of growing these trees :-)

Gardengal, would you consider Japanese pruning of their maples to be a light touch?

Very much so :-) And done over a period of many years. The best pruning of a Japanese maple should look like it has never been pruned!! There is an art and a finely developed skill set needed to achieve that.