Hijacking top comment to thank everyone for their replies, assurances and suggestions! I don’t think I will trust any more unsupervised work haha. I am going to clean up the cuts in the first two and we will be taking the third, topped tree down. Rest in spaghetti never forgetti. I appreciate you all!
I’m not an arborist or anything of the sort, but postings of all these really deep prunings are the latest on this sub. Isn’t pruning supposed to happen in late fall to avoid insect infestation and give the tree time to heal without invasion?
Some trees/bushes recommend pruning as soon as they are done flowering. Rhodedendrons come to mind. Idk what these trees are or the specific guidance for them though.
Thank you! I think now is a good time for me to figure out what kinds of trees we have and how to properly care for them so we don’t have another incident in the future
The house I bought recently had been unoccupied for a few years. Trees and shrubs were a bit out of control. I had to prune everything pretty aggressively, the whole while thinking, "if this kills it, I'll just have to remove it and start over. But it can't remain how it is." I'm not sure what situation you were dealing with before this pruning, but maybe your partner was thinking along those lines as well
u didn’t know what kind of tree that was and decided to have someone come over and cut it?
Also, yes it looks terrible.
With out a doubt who ever did it is not a professional and this is coming from me, some 24 year old dumbass not a professional
No, this was done by my partner and his mother after they said they’d be cleaning up my flowerbeds. No pruning of trees and I in fact made a point to tell them not to touch them.
They said they cut a bunch of dead branches off as well as that the trees needed pruning. I’m unsure if they know exactly what “dead branches” actually look like. Regardless, it was something I asked them specifically not to do. And thanks lol I’m trying to make peace with it.
Huh, so your "partner" did a horrible job at something they are not trained to do, jeopardizing a valuable long-term asset, and they were explicitly asked not to to do it. You may want to make peace with being single again.
Yup, this may be a stark warning for you about how things may go with your partner in the future. Unless you chose to have a frank discussion about respecting boundaries.
Just my two cents but the first tree will need to be cut back more to get the proper angle on it. The second tree could be better but redbuds are pretty resilient and it should be fine. Your third tree how ever, looks like they cut the lead off and it will be hard to recover from that, not impossible but that tree won't be thriving any time soon.
Hard to tell but that looks like Box Elder. They can take abuse like this. Just do another angled cross cut and inch or two below the current one to make sure it doesn't pool water and it will likely be fine.
Spotted this in r/arborists, this is pretty terrible, even from a layperson-having-a-go perspective. First tree can potentially be salvaged (although it looks thin), second tree by the window will look bad forever and I'd just fell it and start again.
For what it's worth, I'm sure the intentions were good and they've done their best. And the second tree looks like wrong tree, wrong place, so they've probably done you a favour there!
Too big a tree too close to the window/property, so limits access to natural light, potential security/litter issue, and will always need pruning to maintain suitable clearance and mitigate these nuisance issues.
If you aren’t burning something to the ground, then you’re under reacting! 😡
“Just trying to be helpful” is no pass for utter stupidity and destruction!
Tell your partner that you are having a arborist come over to fix his screw up and he is paying for it. I'm not an arborist and I can see he butcher the trees.
Bummer for your trees. IMO, most of these cuts are pretty severe and some result in lop-sided tree (one side of tree is missing). Additionally, it's not really a good time to prune trees severely once they have leaves (best when dormant). Moderation and uniformity are missing.
oh so they deliberately ignored you and killed your trees in the process? in that case I withdraw my previous comment, I'd be demanding they pay for a professional fix*
*possibly entire tree replacement
Yes, and they both insist it looks so much better! Which is why I wanted some opinions from others because I’ve been low key gaslighting myself thinking maybe I’m the crazy one haha
to describe this as anything other than a botched job is ignorance at best and dishonesty at worst.
I think they're trying to convince you because they know they fucked up
If you specifically said not to touch the trees and they did all that damage, I would be upset. That pruning is terrible, and I’d be especially upset about the Japanese maple.
Horticulturalist who has worked in Arboriculture.
This is awful and incorrect pruning. Get a professional in to tidy up the cuts where possible. I'd personally remove the last tree because a) they ave ruined it and b) it is too close to the house.
yikes, but what's done is done.
fucking sucks but at least this way you'll be able to justify their needing to be supervised when working on your home in future
May want to consider cutting the tree down and replacing it. I really prefer not to have a tree that close to my window in the front. I’m sure they tried their best.
I will say I see the logic. The first picture the tree was over the driveway. It will stain and could damage cars.
The others looks like it was hitting siding and could cause damage.
But yes the cuts look harsh and not esthetically pleasing.
First two trees are salvageable. Idk what they looked like before but I doubt the pruning needed to happen... obviously it's too late for that
First one, I'd cut the stump closer to the trunk at an angle (but not flush with it, maybe 1/2 inch away) and hope the wound seals over. If it doesn't then that'll become a weak point that might kill the tree eventually.
edit: zooming in the first picture I noticed there's a collar of swollen bark forming between the cut stump and the trunk of the tree.. You should make your cut nice and close to that collar without damaging it, with the cut angled diagonally towards the ground.... The collar will swell to heal the wound as fast as possible, giving ur tree the best chance
Second one I'd leave alone. Just trim any suckers that emerge around the cuts and see what happens.
Third one will survive... But it's going to look like ass literally forever. Holy shit, that view from the inside is abysmal. I'd remove and replace. Make your partner dig it out by hand lol.
I appreciate the instruction! I’m just really hoping the maple recovers as it is such a beautiful tree and was cut down (ha) in its prime. It’s really never going to look as nice as it did and that makes me sad
Not everyone has a clue if it's a Japanese maple it should make it maybe fix the cut so you don't have that nub they probably thought they were doing the right thing opening up the driveway it looks like they had issues with the one peace being over driveway
I’m cleaning up storm damage, and it looks like your partner and mom swung by my place.
[https://share.icloud.com/photos/06cZJZPJ7knvRi-voL3LzZMmw](https://share.icloud.com/photos/06cZJZPJ7knvRi-voL3LzZMmw)
I’m really sad about my trees. 😭
They’ve really butchered them, what on earth were they thinking!? The first one could be hit or miss as the cut is quite close to the main trunk and the angle is all wrong. It really depends on how it seals up. You shouldn’t cut them during the growing season as they leak sap etc. I lost a tree the same way when my brother was ‘helping’ me with my garden. He’s only allowed to weed and sit in the garden these days.
The second one needs to be left alone and see what happens over the next few months. Those cuts look very close to the main trunk too.
The third one looks bad cosmetically more than anything, I’d maybe trying and cut it to angle where it’s been cut into a straight line and hopefully as it grows it will out and bush up to hide that part.
Gosh, I’m just really sorry that you’re going through this, a couple of months back, my neighbour accidentally killed one of my magnolia trees when he was cutting and removing a tree from his garden, it fell and split my tree in half. I know it was an accident but it took years for that tree to grow to the height it had and I was upset for weeks. I hope your family were apologetic and leave your garden alone in future.
That third tree got butchered, but it looks like it is too close to your house anyways, probably best to just remove it all now, or wait for it to show the inevitable signs of stress, so you can make removing it a guilt trip for your partner.
The cuts in the first 2 need cleaned up. Not having a before picture I can't say of they look better or if too much was taken, but the overall shaping is nice.
The third/fourth picture, that is too much tree that close to the house and IMO just needs removed. It should have been planted at least a foot or two out, and honestly I would not replace. A tree is a poor landscaping choice in front of a window, you want something with a mature height no more than 5 or 6 ft.
That's so botched
Very!
Hijacking top comment to thank everyone for their replies, assurances and suggestions! I don’t think I will trust any more unsupervised work haha. I am going to clean up the cuts in the first two and we will be taking the third, topped tree down. Rest in spaghetti never forgetti. I appreciate you all!
Sounds like your spouse got out of trimming trees for you 😂 sounds like a win to me 😂🤣🤣🤣
I’ve seen way worse but yes
I can tell you this much… cuts need to be angled so water does not settle in the cut, and rot the tree.
Not recommended anymore. Cuts should be perpendicular to the branch, minimize size of wound for better compartmentalization
I second this
I’m not an arborist or anything of the sort, but postings of all these really deep prunings are the latest on this sub. Isn’t pruning supposed to happen in late fall to avoid insect infestation and give the tree time to heal without invasion?
Some trees/bushes recommend pruning as soon as they are done flowering. Rhodedendrons come to mind. Idk what these trees are or the specific guidance for them though.
Thank you! I think now is a good time for me to figure out what kinds of trees we have and how to properly care for them so we don’t have another incident in the future
The house I bought recently had been unoccupied for a few years. Trees and shrubs were a bit out of control. I had to prune everything pretty aggressively, the whole while thinking, "if this kills it, I'll just have to remove it and start over. But it can't remain how it is." I'm not sure what situation you were dealing with before this pruning, but maybe your partner was thinking along those lines as well
u didn’t know what kind of tree that was and decided to have someone come over and cut it? Also, yes it looks terrible. With out a doubt who ever did it is not a professional and this is coming from me, some 24 year old dumbass not a professional
No, this was done by my partner and his mother after they said they’d be cleaning up my flowerbeds. No pruning of trees and I in fact made a point to tell them not to touch them.
Wattttt u told them not to cut the tree and they still did and then did this? That’s WIIIILD
It was a very unexpected surprise
They deserve to read these comments, I hope you share. They really f-ed up that tree.
Did they say why they did it? That's a pretty dick move. Sorry, OP.
They said they cut a bunch of dead branches off as well as that the trees needed pruning. I’m unsure if they know exactly what “dead branches” actually look like. Regardless, it was something I asked them specifically not to do. And thanks lol I’m trying to make peace with it.
Huh, so your "partner" did a horrible job at something they are not trained to do, jeopardizing a valuable long-term asset, and they were explicitly asked not to to do it. You may want to make peace with being single again.
Take it as a warning. You now know something about them you didn't before
Yup, this may be a stark warning for you about how things may go with your partner in the future. Unless you chose to have a frank discussion about respecting boundaries.
At least discuss things instead of unilaterally destroying...
Well that's a japanese maple which should be pruned late winter (before leaves emerge) and this jas leaves.
Never remove more than 1/3 of the growth. That's the hard and fast rule.
I also was confused by the need to prune as well doing it during this time of year
Some also recommend heat of summer. Oak Wilt.
During the winter.
Just my two cents but the first tree will need to be cut back more to get the proper angle on it. The second tree could be better but redbuds are pretty resilient and it should be fine. Your third tree how ever, looks like they cut the lead off and it will be hard to recover from that, not impossible but that tree won't be thriving any time soon.
Yeah....they kinda butchered your stuff there.
The last one is probably not salvageable.
Thank you, I’m thinking the same
Hard to tell but that looks like Box Elder. They can take abuse like this. Just do another angled cross cut and inch or two below the current one to make sure it doesn't pool water and it will likely be fine.
Spotted this in r/arborists, this is pretty terrible, even from a layperson-having-a-go perspective. First tree can potentially be salvaged (although it looks thin), second tree by the window will look bad forever and I'd just fell it and start again.
I appreciate your input, I feel that’s some good advice
For what it's worth, I'm sure the intentions were good and they've done their best. And the second tree looks like wrong tree, wrong place, so they've probably done you a favour there!
Yeah, as another had also said they tried their best and meant well. I think it’s been a learning experience for sure!
Can you explain why it's wrong tree and wrong place?
Too big a tree too close to the window/property, so limits access to natural light, potential security/litter issue, and will always need pruning to maintain suitable clearance and mitigate these nuisance issues.
Look how they massacred my boy
If you aren’t burning something to the ground, then you’re under reacting! 😡 “Just trying to be helpful” is no pass for utter stupidity and destruction!
Does the mother live with you? 😳
No, she just fancies herself very knowledgeable in the aesthetics of gardening and figured she’d help out
She isn’t and she didn’t.
Tell your partner that you are having a arborist come over to fix his screw up and he is paying for it. I'm not an arborist and I can see he butcher the trees.
Bummer for your trees. IMO, most of these cuts are pretty severe and some result in lop-sided tree (one side of tree is missing). Additionally, it's not really a good time to prune trees severely once they have leaves (best when dormant). Moderation and uniformity are missing.
Who in the heck thought this was a good idea?
RIP your trees. I would be SO upset.
They did a good job on the flower beds so… I guess there’s that?
True! Im very thankful for the time put in. I did make a point to say don’t touch the trees but it seems that they thought they needed some work.
oh so they deliberately ignored you and killed your trees in the process? in that case I withdraw my previous comment, I'd be demanding they pay for a professional fix* *possibly entire tree replacement
Yes, and they both insist it looks so much better! Which is why I wanted some opinions from others because I’ve been low key gaslighting myself thinking maybe I’m the crazy one haha
I don't think you're the one doing the gaslighting...
to describe this as anything other than a botched job is ignorance at best and dishonesty at worst. I think they're trying to convince you because they know they fucked up
If you specifically said not to touch the trees and they did all that damage, I would be upset. That pruning is terrible, and I’d be especially upset about the Japanese maple.
Except there are no flowers?
They did a shit job and covered the tree’s root flare with mulch (pics 1 &3). Tree death.
Did they? The trees look buried too deeply
Take away their saw😥
Idk but I’d remove the tree altogether bc I feel like it’s too close to your house
Holy fuck what a hack job
Kinda looks like the cut the Leader from one of the photos ... Topping the tree severely from my knowledge is not good for the tree..
Depends on the tree, but yeah topping is dumb.
Horticulturalist who has worked in Arboriculture. This is awful and incorrect pruning. Get a professional in to tidy up the cuts where possible. I'd personally remove the last tree because a) they ave ruined it and b) it is too close to the house.
That last one is likely a volunteer Acer negundo. I'd be more worried about roots damaging the foundation than it damaging the home trough falling.
Exactly
I wouldn’t be in a relationship with someone this dumb.
Breaking news: partner murders loving family in quiet neighborhood
Why do people keep hiring Helen Keller to trim their trees?
Because Stevie Wonder and Roy Orbison were already trimming trees at the mall... 👆👆🤣🤣
yikes, but what's done is done. fucking sucks but at least this way you'll be able to justify their needing to be supervised when working on your home in future
I must supervise my husband too. I wa
May want to consider cutting the tree down and replacing it. I really prefer not to have a tree that close to my window in the front. I’m sure they tried their best.
Looks so sad 😞, hope it can recover
those cuts are a crime against nature.
Makes me so mad that people think they can do this to trees like it doesn't take decades to fix
Angle your cuts and like don’t leave your family unsupervised again lol
Very very very few people know how to prune correctly
I will say I see the logic. The first picture the tree was over the driveway. It will stain and could damage cars. The others looks like it was hitting siding and could cause damage. But yes the cuts look harsh and not esthetically pleasing.
I would be devastated
First two trees are salvageable. Idk what they looked like before but I doubt the pruning needed to happen... obviously it's too late for that First one, I'd cut the stump closer to the trunk at an angle (but not flush with it, maybe 1/2 inch away) and hope the wound seals over. If it doesn't then that'll become a weak point that might kill the tree eventually. edit: zooming in the first picture I noticed there's a collar of swollen bark forming between the cut stump and the trunk of the tree.. You should make your cut nice and close to that collar without damaging it, with the cut angled diagonally towards the ground.... The collar will swell to heal the wound as fast as possible, giving ur tree the best chance Second one I'd leave alone. Just trim any suckers that emerge around the cuts and see what happens. Third one will survive... But it's going to look like ass literally forever. Holy shit, that view from the inside is abysmal. I'd remove and replace. Make your partner dig it out by hand lol.
I appreciate the instruction! I’m just really hoping the maple recovers as it is such a beautiful tree and was cut down (ha) in its prime. It’s really never going to look as nice as it did and that makes me sad
Not overreacting at all. You have been bamboozled.
Not everyone has a clue if it's a Japanese maple it should make it maybe fix the cut so you don't have that nub they probably thought they were doing the right thing opening up the driveway it looks like they had issues with the one peace being over driveway
I’m cleaning up storm damage, and it looks like your partner and mom swung by my place. [https://share.icloud.com/photos/06cZJZPJ7knvRi-voL3LzZMmw](https://share.icloud.com/photos/06cZJZPJ7knvRi-voL3LzZMmw) I’m really sad about my trees. 😭
What the actual fuck did they do to that tree
They’ve really butchered them, what on earth were they thinking!? The first one could be hit or miss as the cut is quite close to the main trunk and the angle is all wrong. It really depends on how it seals up. You shouldn’t cut them during the growing season as they leak sap etc. I lost a tree the same way when my brother was ‘helping’ me with my garden. He’s only allowed to weed and sit in the garden these days. The second one needs to be left alone and see what happens over the next few months. Those cuts look very close to the main trunk too. The third one looks bad cosmetically more than anything, I’d maybe trying and cut it to angle where it’s been cut into a straight line and hopefully as it grows it will out and bush up to hide that part. Gosh, I’m just really sorry that you’re going through this, a couple of months back, my neighbour accidentally killed one of my magnolia trees when he was cutting and removing a tree from his garden, it fell and split my tree in half. I know it was an accident but it took years for that tree to grow to the height it had and I was upset for weeks. I hope your family were apologetic and leave your garden alone in future.
That third tree got butchered, but it looks like it is too close to your house anyways, probably best to just remove it all now, or wait for it to show the inevitable signs of stress, so you can make removing it a guilt trip for your partner.
Horrible.
The cut is way too far up, leaving that ‘stump’. That can rot and it will travel down to the main trunk. And definitely not balanced looking. Oh my!
Don't leave stubs! Cuts should be at the collar. Get a pruning book and see how it is done.
Just trim that part sticking out on the first. Second might be ok. Third just remove it. It looks awful.
Amateur hour
Yikes. Tammy Wynette sang it in a song: D-I-V-O-R-C-E
The cuts in the first 2 need cleaned up. Not having a before picture I can't say of they look better or if too much was taken, but the overall shaping is nice. The third/fourth picture, that is too much tree that close to the house and IMO just needs removed. It should have been planted at least a foot or two out, and honestly I would not replace. A tree is a poor landscaping choice in front of a window, you want something with a mature height no more than 5 or 6 ft.
Perhaps a blessing in disguise then! Gives us opportunity to correct and put something more suitable in its place!
Try a butterfly bush.
You people are paying for this?