If that was my plant, I'd cut it back as hard as I can and start managing the canopy in a way that enures you end up with a plant that has eye appeal. Short of that, I'd go through plant and eliminate all instances where branches grow back toward the middle of the canopy, then correct each case where more than 2 branches originate at or very near the same point. IOW, Ys or slingshots are ok, tridents or pitchforks should be turned into Ys. It's difficult to tell by viewing the photo, but it looks like you have a large number of instances where a number of branches all originate from the same point. This is going to increase visual weight where there should be a taper to finer branching as the distance from the trunk increases.

Al

Let me take a look more closely at the branching structure tomorrow morning when it is light out, but I am pretty sure the grower pruned it as such that it’s a series of star / rosettes from each main lower branch. There is a lot of crossing branches in the center which have always bothered me and I know I should elminate. I have been worried about reducing the already limited canopy now that it’s trying to recuperate. I’ll post better photos in the am. Will cutting back braches induce growth in a gardenia? Thanks Al!

Will cutting back branches induce growth in a gardenia? Plants grow when they are capturing more of the sun's energy (by way of photosynthesis) than the plant needs to sustain and keep its systems orderly. The true measure of growth is the amount of increase in the dry mass of the plant. A plant can be seen to have branches that are extending, and new leaves on the branches, but it might not be growing if it is cannibalizing other leaves and branches to sustain the new branches and leaves. A hard pruning is a step backward insofar as growth is concerned, but it is often a necessary to correct issues that have not received the attention they deserve.

If you cut the tree back hard, it will have a rejuvenating effect on the plant. Plants age ontogenetically, rather than chronologically. The tissues closest the the root to shoot transition zone are oldest chronologically, but youngest ontogenetically. As such, they retain their juvenile vigor; so, cutting back hard, healthy plants with a root system conditioned to providing for a canopy many times larger than the plant post-pruning usually results in an explosion of growth.

Try to train yourself to avoid worshiping growth, or considering it to be sacred and not to be removed. If it's not contributing to your goals, or your vision of how the plant should look, it has no business being on the tree ...... except maybe as sacrifice branches, but so far that's beyond the scope of what's being discussed.

This tree (Styrax japonica - Japanese snowbell) was about 8-10 ft tall spring of 2015 and multi-trunked when I lifted it from my bonsai grow bed and transplanted to a nursery can and finished the initial work

This is what it looked like the following spring before pruning.

..... and this is after pruning:

This is what it looked like in early June of '18:

A year later (now) it's so dense with foliage you can't see the branch structure or the trunk, other than the first few inches after it exits the soil.

So, I removed about 95% of the tree's mass, cut off huge branches and the trunk, root-pruned huge roots up to 3" thick so it would fit in the nursery can, and still it lives on apparently none the worse for wear.

Al

Yes, you are completely right. I’m sorry my brain glitched there for a moment. That is a beautiful Styrax!

I was / am concerned that it would need all the leaves it has to sustain life until it fully recoperates from being barerooted and transplanted into the 511 mix. I do not have much experience with bringing plants back from the brink. Usually they just die, but I believe I caught this one in time. Lol you hit the nail on the head about worshiping growth, especially on this plant! Here are some more detailed photos on the growth. Notice the rosette patterns?

Photos of form...honestly I don’t know where to start! All I know is I don’t like how the left most side extends out too far in the first photo.