I feel your pain, but I think you're giving him too much credit in calling him a "gardener". He sounds like a butcher, to me! I'm in the same zone as you, and I refrain from ANY major pruning after the first (to maybe the middle) of August. I'll do minor clean up, such as deadheading of hydrangeas and some perennials, but that's all. In this part of the country pruning this late will force new growth, and although there's enough warm weather left for new growth to start on trees and shrubs, there's NOT enough time for it to harden off before cold weather hits. Your trees probably will break into new growth that you will lose this winter no matter how well you protect your trees. BUT, if you protect them well you shouldn't lose much of the older wood. The problem will be from the cut ends being put under cover for winter: they might rot. Before you put your tree to bed for the winter, I recommend painting the trunks and branches with Wilt Pruf, or one of the other anti-desiccants. Let it dry thoroughly before wrapping/covering the tree for winter. Follow the normal precautions for keeping dry and allowing air circulation. Good luck, and I'll add my curses on the "gardener" to the ones I'm sure you've already sent up, lol. JohnB

If it were mine and I wanted it pretty much the way it is now, single stem with a bushy top, I would cut it back below the branches on each prong of the 'trident'. Put it outside in partial shade for a couple weeks to acclimate, and then move to full sun. Ficus back bud easily, and full sun will encourage this. Once new growth is under way, move into part shade so as not to produce sun leaves, which will not like being moved into a relatively dark house for winter. Ficus are known to drop their leaves if a shadow passes over them lol. If you want a bushy plant that branches near the soil line, you can cut the main stem to 6-12 inches, and proceed as above. There is a chance, however slight, that the plant will not like being chopped on and turn up it's toes, but I think it's a chance worth taking considering the state the plant is in now.

Hey guys, first of all, thanks to everyone that's helping. I've learned so much in the past two days. Specially Dave and Al...thank you teachers! :) So sorry about in the instrusion, I'm another one with fiddle leaf problems. I think I was sold a sick FLF...the guys just told me that it was in direct light all day long, so I thought the brown spots were justified. Until I got home and realized the soil was really compact...really....compact and soggy...and loads of rocks on top, which probably wouldn't help. So what I've did pretty fast, I went into despair...I've tried to repot it...and..of course I the roots just broke in half, and they were almost black and quite smelly... I didn't have anything around other than regular soil with perlite, so I just moved the lyrata and the now shorter roots too a new dry vase with some brick pieces at the bottom and that soil...the soil it's very loose and didn't compressed whatsoever. Didn't watered since, two days now. So after reading all of your kind info, Tomorrow I'm going too: 1. Clean the remaining roots as well as I can without damaging it more.. 2 .Repot, with 5:1:1 mix...Pine bark, Turf (should I?), Perlite; and some brick pieces in the bottom. 3. Water the lyrata once like flushing, right? And then again.. 4. The bottom leaves are very very rigid almost like they are about to break, I've read one Al's comment about "the end of life" process of these leaves...Should I cut the last leave and put the trunk deeper so it forms new healthy roots? (if this makes any sense at all) 5. Pruning, I was thinking about cutting the top (last picture), but as the bottom leaves are so stiff, maybe they aren't able to produce that much "food" and I should keep the top one for now? (I'm I thinking stupid??) 6. The only I had to cover the pot was sawdust, with which I have been lucky in protecting my plants from pests and mould. Again...in a despair act..should I maintain this? Can you help me please?? I'm based in Sintra,Portugal; very warm and humid location, actually humidity is a problem around here. Any advice is most welcome! thanks!

How is your bougainvillea growing? I'm surprised to see one so close to the house/garage door. Typically these plants become massive and have many many thick sharp thorns. Beautiful plants though.