This Arbutus unedo, or Strawberry Tree, had been hedged years ago. The client wanted it to look more like a tree. Hedging creates lots of new growth points in the upper canopy, and generally trees have fewer growth points. By leaving the leaders that were well attached and growing in the directions I wanted, while removing leaders in crowded areas of the canopy, I was able to get a good start on making it more tree like. I started by removing a few lower larger diameter branches that seemed especially crowded, then focused on thinning the areas in the upper canopy that were topped in the past.

Great tips! I really loved reading this blog! Very useful and eye-opening tips. Thanks for writing this down and sharing it! I am gonna write these tips down and use them when the time comes. Thanks!