One Third Rule

I do not know if this form of 'Liquidambar' is 'variegata' or 'silver king' or 'aurea', however it is still a delightful plant to own. It is easy to grow, not excessively vigorous, and simply looks nice in the garden, holding its leaves well into late autumn as you will perhaps notice by the autumnal colour of certain plants in the background of today's image. To grow this particular tree in a good sized border you need to 'lift its skirt', that is garden speak for removing the lower branches to obtain a bare trunk, how much length you need under your skirt is a matter of personal preference! What you do need to do is apply the 'One Third Rule' by looking at the overall height of a tree and removing only those lower branches up to a third of that height. This is important in leaving enough remaining branches (and therefore leafage) to photosynthesis enough sunlight to keep the trees growth strong and constant. Do not be greedy and try to take more off or you'll end up with a heavy head and weak stem and a huge susceptibility to wind....the tree that is, not you.

This rule applies to any tree, ornamental or fruiting, that you are hoping to make into a standard or half standard, especially Holly and Bay which being evergreen are exposed to a lot more wind resistance during winter and a pathetically weak stem just buggers them up completely. I would allow a good 8 years for a strong specimen of these, and would expect to get about ??100 for one. I f a customer is not prepared to pay that for 8 years work of care, culture, skill, pruning etc, then he or she should piss off to B&Q and buy an ornament.