I did it on Pinus densiflora ' Low Glow ' starting last year . I cut more yesterday (you can't see here ) and a work in progress .

I have been eyeing my 'Glauca Globosa ' for years and thinking about the strobus ' Minuta '

Plantkiller, thank you! It’s interesting you have done this with Pinus densiflora ’Low Glow’, as that’s the one that would be my first choice to do something like this. It sounds like you’re in year two of this experiment, for lack of better word. Do you have a specific time frame, or are you taking it one year at a time?

I went back and looked at the four examples Mr. Bloom provided, and it struck me that I have a strong preference for multi-stemmed conifers for this treatment. This fits for ’Low Glow’, which also has interesting bark that can be brought to light. Here’s a pic of my ’Low Glow’, which is nice as is. I’ll be honest, I don’t know where to start, which is one reason I may never get around to it.

Depends of course, but some conifers benefit aesthetically by having their trunks exposed and visible.

mac , I started by cleaning out the bottom / dead stuff . And so far I am working that way . No plan really. I had discussion with Sara Malone about this , sometime back. She said the aesthetic pruners association pruned hers and she liked it. sent me this

Ron

Mmmm, made me go out and eye my picea 'Globosa', has nice lower branching and sited on a slope that lends a view under there, then as well could do a bit of underplanting.

Yes, that adds a ton of character to the specimen, I'm really tempted, though think I'd forego the shaping and pruning into individual balls.

Would that last pic be an example of cloud pruning? I think it looks great, but one would probably be enough.

I took another look at conifer prospects in the garden, and this Pinus nigra ’Brepo’ may be a better choice than the ’Low Glow’ since it’s in a much less visible part of the garden. If I completely botch the job, which is a distinct possibility, I’ll probably be the only one to notice.

yes , cloud

If you go slow & start from bottom, I doubt you will botch.

ron

I'm sure pine and spruce are different but Juniperus communis is rejuvenating.

If you leave one needle on the old wood, you'll get new branching from that spot.

But I agree, I just started from the bottom and took breaks. Better to come back later and do a little more than go too far. Even then if not too bad, the plant can outgrow a few mistakes.

Enjoy!

:-)

Looks good Bill! Also, am enjoying your pine and larch!

@maackia - I’ve been reading your post & the replies with interest because of wanting to do a bit of shaping / opening up pruning on my Spaan’s Dwarf Shore Pine / Pinus Contorta. Not exactly ’raising the canopy’ but related. I’d like to see more of its trunk & branch shape in the interior & not have it looking like a mugo pine. It’s been in ground @ 9 years. Over the years I’ve cut out weak & limpy looking inner branches & have candled it to control height over the past several years. I’m more focused on doing this now because a few months ago we had our front yard grass removed & new landscape installed so it has much more prominance in the new scape. There’s much more room around it too with only one small abelia shrub between it & the Viridis Japanese Maple to the right of it towards the porch / entry. Do you, or any of you others who’ve posted here, have any tips or advice to offer me for guidance? You might note my pine looks more open from the side view in third pic. I think I need to focus on creating the same open look from the front view seen in 2nd pic.

Bill , that looks fabulous

Here is a different pic of mine after I attacked it the first time >

Bill, nice work. I’ve never taken a close look at J. communis bark, but yours looks reddish/orange.. Am I seeing something that isn’t there? I’m fond of orange bark on pines, which is why I thought P. densiflora would be a good choice.

KW, it seems to me you’re off to a good start with the Shore Pine, which is one I’ve never grown. I’m reluctant to offer much advice on pruning until I see how it goes for me. Hopefully others can share their experience. I’ve learned the hard way that slow and judicious is the way to go when undertaking major pruning. You’ve shaped your pine over nine years, which tells me you probably alteady know this.

For anyone who’s interested, here’s a video from Bloom.

Bill, as others said, hard to take one's eyes off your Juniperus communis. BTW, the larch in the background there looks like it's having a hair-day. :)

Thanks!

The J. communis does have a bit of a 'Bonsai' appearance. Second season now that I've worked on it.

FWIW: The red pine was over 4 feet tall when the Tamarack was planted as a new seedling. The Tamarack has since overtaken the pine and may even be a little taller.

Maackia,

I tried to find a close-up picture of the bark but yes, newer bark is lighter brown/orange going to brownish as it matures. It shows more orange with the early and late day sun hitting it.

After looking through my pictures, I realize there was some manipulating of the branches over the years using stakes and strings. It was a small. contorted specimen to begin with a large fork near the bottom.

September 2022: (a fast grower).

eta: planted circa 2016.

Maackia,

Here's a closeup of the bark.

It does have a reddish/maroon hue in the mix.

KW , I really like the looks of your front yard,,nice work.

When working on your pine , make cuts close to trunk .

You may want to remove some of the smaller branches , just follow it up with your hand to make sure you can afford to lose the attached foliage.

Your plant looks like a good candidate for this.

Thank you @plantkiller_il_5 - I really do appreciate your feedback. If you’re interested in the transformation of my front yard, here’s the link to my post on that. We wanted a pretty landscape that didn’t take lots of work - the age in place thing - but more important to me was that it used less water & chemicals + provided some support to pollinators & wildlife in general.

link:

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/6442815/have-you-removed-all-grass-from-your-front-yard-replaced-with-plants

I do agree that the smaller branches on my shore pine should be the first candidates for removal. I do grab what I think I want to cut off & try to visualize or ’see’ what it will look like with that piece gone. I’m understanding that late winter / early spring is the best time to do any pruning?