[Virtus]

Hi there,
I recently had a tree in our garden identified as a Sugi tree (Cryptomeria japonica ' Elegans') by Greengage and Silver Surfer here on the forums. It is quite an old tree and was planted by relatives of ours many years ago before we ever lived here. The problem is my family thinks it is an eyesore and wants rid of it but I can't bring myself to chop it down because of the history and the fact that it is such an interesting tree.

It is made up of multiple stems which have started to collapse outwards under their own weight as it hasn't been maintained properly for a long time. I have tried to cut it back a bit and reshape it over the last couple of years. The interior of the tree is completely bare and the stems are quite gnarled and craggy. This is partially visible from the roadside as it is growing out over a wall. It doesn't look great to be honest.

I was thinking would it be possible to tie the branches together and try give the tree a bit more shape? The tree is about 40-50 years old I think or more so it might be gone beyond that stage. Any advice would be appreciated.




Note that it used to be nearly twice as tall but I gave it a bit of a haircut a couple of years ago.

[Greengage]

I think it is too big a tree for a small garden and should have been pruned to retain its shape when it was younger, but and i take no responsibility for this if you do the same, I butchered one once for a client because they wanted it cut back really hard and I refused to remove the stump guess what it regrew. so if your brave try it but if it doesn't regrow dont blame me.