normally, there is not issue with a large tree out in the middle of an open lawn becoming too large so we don't care how big it gets. But as it grows taller, we usually want the bottom of its canopy to act like a ceiling, providing shade and the sense of shelter. However, if that "ceiling" is too low, it becomes not an advantage, but a disadvantage. Does a person look better with a lot of hair covering their face. Usually not. The same is true for a house. When viewed from the street, if lower tree branches cover too much of the view of the house, it doesn't look good. Also, one must always be cognizant of the ultimate size of the tree. When it's 100 feet tall, would one want branches that are 6' off the ground? Another common problem with branches that are too low is that as they grow, they hang further down and become obstructive to actually using or maintaining the yard. Also, too many branches that are too low produce oppressive, gloomy shade... especially when trees are grouped together. Yet another factor is that high ceilings not only feel better in houses, but also outdoors. A low hanging canopy just does not feel as good as a raised one. I don't have enough space or time to convince anyone here in a short message, but start observing and you'll see it's true. I notice that almost everyone prunes trees in REACTION to how they are right now. Never in ANTICIPATION of what they'll be in 3 months or later. It is this reactionary pruning that is a bigger job and costs more. A limb that's 10" in diameter was at one time only 1" in diameter. At 1", it could be safely and easily removed by anyone. At 10" in diameter, it could only be removed by a professional. Just to make the same single cut (to remove the branch) requires about 75 or 80 times the amount of actual cutting work as when the branch was only 1". The limb structure on trees "opens" as it grows because branches grow longer, heavier and they end up hanging down. The same thing will happen with your tree. The branches that begin at 5' ht. on the trunk and now aim up, will eventually hang down. And they will be a whole lot fatter and heavier by then. When that time comes you'll surely want them removed because then they will be obliterating the view of your house, obstructing the use of your yard and producing oppressive shade where grass (or barely anything) could grow. But then the cost of removing them then will be exponentially higher. Today, you could do it yourself with a home depot pole pruner. In ten years, It will cost several hundred dollars for a professional to do it. Then, the cuts that need to heal over will be massive and maybe even look disfiguring. Today, they would be small and heal quickly. Removing branches a little early (in anticipation of what's to come) might at first make it seem like too much trunk is showing relative to the canopy. But in a rapidly short time, as pruning will do, it just causes the tree to grow faster in all the areas that remain... which is mainly the top of the tree. So very quickly, things look back in perfect order again.

Hi Julie...You're in the bay area so a nice marine influence for pleasing azaleas? Here conditions are perfect for azaleas and rhododendrons, so they have no other problems to contend with other than a little root competition. My maple could be smaller than yours, it's Orido Nishiki and aprox 12 x 10', maybe a little smaller. I waste no space - have none to waste. The maple has billardiera longiflora (tiny leafed evergreen vine) growing through it, azalea, maidenhair fern, dwarf solomon's seal, cimicifuga brunette and hellebores under it. I do mulch with compost every spring, fertilize nothing, and have a drip hose wound throughout to keep all happy. Dig around a little and see if you have planting pockets without too many roots in your way, you'll know if azaleas will work for you there. The also evergreen oriental hybrid hellebores are thriving under my maple too...you can't be locked indoors in your climate in winter either and might enjoy those for the winter flowering interest - my gray damp winters need it. Here is a link that might be useful:

I was wondering about planting yaupons. Just not certain if their texture look will be compatable with the young Foster holly, pecan, and Shumard oak trees growing along the property line and almost 20 feet behind the once solid row of Loblolly trees. This vacant half acre lot where my loblolly trees in question, are growing is in Northeastern OK. The soil is a silty loam and situated only 2 1/2 miles west of the Arkansas River. The lot does not flood, but the fine grains of sediment which make up the silty loam soil cause the rain which falls upon the land and storm runoff which overflows the lot, to stay on the surface much longer and only perculate down into the soil slowly. That is, unless on parts of the lot where the elevation is so sloped that the water quickly continues on as fast moving, storm runoff. At the end of the line of loblollies, where the only two are growing fairly close, the water table seems higher, and over the last 4 years, these two loblollies have struggled from too much moisture in the soil during extended rain periods. These two loblollies had been planted at the same time as all the others, but due to their struggle to overcome the fairly high water table which begins to show up if one digs near them only two to three feet down, yet even more shallow, during extended slow rain events. These two trees have managed to survive, but are currently only about a third of the size to which the other Loblolly trees have grown. The soil under what used to be a double staggered solid looking row of Loblolly pines is slightly more acidic due to the pine needles that fell, in fairly small amounts, to the ground beneath them. I suspect the acid soil levels in that area will continue to elevate as the remaining loblolly trees begin their stage of dropping lower leaves and branches to form tall trunks beneath spreading pine needle canopies. Plenty of times the soil is moist, in the winter, spring, and fall, but there still are several months in the year when the soil condition would be too dry for most of the acid, damp soil loving flowering shrubs. and the area gets too much sun for many of those, which locally, need to be planted in morning sun and afternoon shade conditions I like the Magnolia suggestion, as long as it is a cultivar which will not overpower the lighter look of the loblolly trees. maybe Magnolias like the 'Jane' cultivar. Then again, I also like the look of Chaste trees. The only thing that has held me back from planning to use those is my concern over the fact that they go dormant, here beginning in late fall, through winter and the very earliest weeks close to spring. In fact the local chaste trees do not leaf out in our area again until mid to late May or early June. Our summer, 8, sun exposure zone is okay for the suggested wax myrtle. Still a little iffy, though. Especially when I consider our border winter temperate USDA Zone, where, even though our winter climate averages closer to the 7a USDA temperature zones, we still get plenty shots of colder low levels of the 6b temperate zone, which occur in waves of time most often during our January and early February winter period.

The espaliered witch hazel at CUH is impressive. My pruning education (formal and practical) said to tread lightly with this plant family, so I was surprised by what I saw there. My winterhazel confirmed its dislike of pruning by sending up a bunch of water sprouts, tall straight growth through the middle of the plant, when I took off a couple of damaged stems. I imagine the gardeners at CUH are successful because the plants are very large, albeit 2-D, and the pruning has surely been done slowly and carefully. Keeping it in a shrub shape, if that means shortening most of the branches, may offer disappointing results. You may want to consider disanthus a for a nice full shrub shape, although the fall color will be less spectacular in shade. Anything planted under a maple is going to be water-challenged, however. Maybe a native (oceanspray comes to mind) would do well.