You could prune some of the lower branches from your maple, and that should let more light through to your bay window. I would wait until late fall, winter or early spring to prune it, however. Light pruning is OK at any time, but this would probably be on the heavy side. I don't think you need to worry about the Japanese maple roots. They are shallow rooted, but are not aggressive like Red, Silver and some other larger maples. I have never understood why so many people plant Japanese maples so close to their houses. I guess they buy them when the trees are real small and assume they won't get much larger. I see it all the time, however, where someone has planted a Japanese maple in a narrow confined space right near their house and then they have to prune is severely to try to make it fit. There is one house in my neighborhood where they planted a red dissectum variety right against their foundation and have pruned it up in a ball like it was a shrub or hedge. Yikes!

You might want to have a certified arborist (tree expert) check these trees. Some trees don't seem to be bothered much by having one side of their root system cut but some are much more sensitive. One worry is the lack of support from that side of the tree in the event of high winds. As far as watering is concerned, a mature tree can drink several hundred gallons of water a day during the height of summer so it might be difficult to water them deeply enough and in great enough volume to be helpful. And never fertilize a plant that is already under stress unless a specialist checks it out and recommends something specific. In this case phosphate might help the tree renew it's root system but don't apply it without professional advice. Another source of great assistance is your local Extension Agent. Your county should have an agent that will be able to give you more specific advice geared to your locality and climate. The last problem you might be on the lookout for is damage to the new sidewalk from the roots. Maples are notorious for ruining sidewalks and foundations by breaking them up with their super strong root system that is often on or near the surface of the ground. If these trees survive and renew their root systems, the sidewalk will probably only last a few years. Good luck. Let us know the outcome of this if you can. I really hate to see these beautiful old trees damaged by careless disregard for their needs. But I know the sidewalk was needed too. Quite a balancing act! Sandy

Thanks mes111, the linked article made the process very easy to understand. I had tried to be as organic as possible and used sulfur this year but I will be using Immunox next spring. From what I have read, ( and what I experienced last year on my trees,) older trees can be devastated by CAR. Unlike younger trees, older trees don't grow many new leaves after spring and the danger of CAR infection is past, and so, are not able to store up engergy through the leaves for the next year. Last year, all the leaves were covered with CAR and most dropped by late summer. Looks like the same will happen this year. Is there anything I can do to help the trees compensate for the damage done to their leaves? Should I try to remove any apples that are left on the tree? Would doing any pruning and water sprouts removal encourage some new leaf growth? Should I fertilize?

I agree with comments above that you should not stress the trees by planting beneath them or by trimming them. Topping is so detrimental to tree health that good arborists will not do it. Hemlocks in the northeastern U.S. are already under stress by the introduced aphid-like hemlock woolly adelgid. Sadly, many groves are declining and dying due to this infestation. The addition of mulch beneath the trees might add some definition to the space and reduce the "jungle like" feel of the space. As nice as it might be to look at, as heavily-used by children as your yard is, a lawn is probably not practical at this point ... been there, done that ;-) ... but you might be able to improve the lawn slightly with the right type of turfgrass for high-use areas. You might want to add some perennials for dry shade or spring bulbs along the edge of the mulched area in the less-used areas. Installing small plants will disturb the hemlock roots less, and they will catch up surprisingly quickly. Epimedium is one of my favorites for dry shade; it blooms in the spring and the leaves are nearly winter-hardy in my zone 7 garden. Be careful, though, as there are clumping and running (spreading) varieties; the clumping varieties will stay pretty much where you put them, increasing gradually in size.