Acer - will this be the shape?

[Maggiethecat]

Bought a small one half price last year and it’s grown quite a bit.

There’re lots of willowy thin branches that I’m not sure what to do with - presuming these will become thicker and eventually form the shape of the tree?

(It’s hard to see from the photo but lots of willowy bits toward the camera, there’s a rose bush against the wall)

Would cutting some of the branches, to shape the tree, slow growth?

I am wondering the same; got a Little Princes at the end of Spring and it looks very similar. Tall and doing well but not a tree in the single stem sense of the word. I have looked it up a bit and there seems to be a specific way to cut Acers as hard pruning is a big no. I got distracted though because the linked YouTube video was long and dull so I don't know if there is an easy way to figure it out, hopefully someone else will!

First of all, acers are slow growing and you shouldn't expect any thick branches/a stem any time soon. (This is why more mature acers are expensive, it takes ages.)

You can shape an acer into how you want it to look (see: bonsai), but you need to wait until winter when it's dormant (I do mine in January). E.g. if you want a traditional tree shape with lateral branches you will need to figure out which is the central leader (main vertical stem). I'd say be careful and take it slowly. Cut too little rather than too much.

It’s exciting to see such growth! Good luck with yours 🍀

I really was surprised by the growth exactly because I’ve always heard they’re slow growers.

The tree looks very unbalanced with lots of new growth going right up to the top/right of the photo. Those bits especially seem very out of place and am curious what the tree will end up looking like! 🤔

Would it be better to wait a year and be sure which is the main stem or will that just encourage thicker lower branches rather than one central? Thanks re Jan, so much needs to be done before winter in my garden I am glad to have something that can wait!

Im not sure, but I have one on the garden and its now enormous. Probably 20 years old now, though. Unless your front garden is ultra sunny, it may be an idea to move the plant next to it a little, so it gets a bit more sun.

That’s the back garden and it is in the shade for most of the day but it gets morning sun.

The nearby plant is a climbing rose so can’t move it.

Ah. Perhaps just pin it out of the way, then.

I would either pin the rose back or move the acer - it needs more room than that.

Your acer may vary - my young one actually prefers shade, otherwise the edges get crispy.

Anyway, the main thing is that you'll have to decide what shape you want. You could reduce the side shoots a little and have that main leader - or do something different. They don't only mean height when they say slow growing - it's thickening, root ball, etc. It may have that single long shoot but it's not like some species where the root is as deep/wide as the tree is tall.

I would give it a couple of years before starting to shape it. I have found that they start out kind of spindly and messy, and then they start developing a graceful shape by themselves when they are 4 or 5 years old. At that point I do a bit of pruning to shape them if necessary.

I have wiggle room to move the pot so may do that.
I’m looking forward to seeing how it develops!

@Maggiethecat You can prune acers. The best time to do it is in early spring, just as it begins to wake up and the leaf buds on the stems start to swell a bit. Prune back to just above a pair of buds, which will then grow into two branches instead of one long one. It will make the plant a lot more bushy. You can carry on doing it throughout the spring and summer. That's what bonsai enthusiasts do.

Is it an orange dream, by any chance? If so, they do tend to be a bit more spreading ime.

acers are Japanese woodland shrubs, they live under the canopy of trees. They dislike strong sunlight,high temperatures and wind. You can prune very gently in spring..I am a Crimson Queen which gets some sun in my NW facing garden..

I have a Crimson Queen,no idea why the phone pokes it's nose in and changes words

I quite liked the "I am a Crimson Queen" line! I imagined a smouldering look while declaring it.

It’s a Katsura which I believe may be similar.

Crimson Queen sounds fab!

Katsura is a variety which has smaller leaves and is particularly sought after for bonsai, so it will take well to pruning at the time of year I mentioned earlier. You can smear the cut ends of branches with vaseline which helps to seal them and prevent pathogens getting in.

Acers can take a reasonable amount of sun as long as they are kept well watered and out of the wind. You get better autumn colour that way too.

Thanks @Yamadori - it probably makes sense, to wait until spring as you suggest, when I can better see the structure and decide what shape I want to go for as @Agapornis said upthread.

You must all have lovely acers!