[big guy]

Originally Posted by stadry

good luck w/that - replacement tree,,, these trees aren't expensive however you can't 'murder' these things - even cutting them off at ground level won't do it. however, IF you don't cut them back (prune) ea yr prior to bloom, they'll turn into ugly multi-branched weed trees,,, pruning to most, is managing growth, & necessary for the trees' good health,,, obviously some think its 'murder' but its only a brush burn to the tree :-) usually ours are chopped in feb
to me, an 'arborist' is a lawn/tree maintenance fellow who speaks better english & charges more to tell you the same thing in a much longer & more articulate explanation/presentation

This is simply not true....on any count.