Acer, Cutleaf Japanese Maple, Threadleaf Japanese Maple 'Inaba Shidare'

This is one fantastic Japanese maple, I can't say enough positive things bout this cultivar. It is a specimen tree by a water feature wit...Read Moreh Japanese Forest grass, some sedum, and rocks . It has a leaning structure to it yet stands about 5 feet high now. The colours that range from Spring to Autumn are beautiful. In Autumn it is ablaze with crimson. It is a favorite of mine. I am in the 5b zone, Ontario , Canada.

I bought this on a whim in about a one-gallon pot for about ten bucks, at the biggest of America's big box stores, no less. Something jus...Read Moret gave me a hunch and I must say I was right. With zero pruning, after two years it has become a gorgeous specimen, with vertical leader (main trunk) growth, and horizontal side branch growth, with just a tad of cascading. The leaves retain their color here in hot, rainy Louisiana. And I've been keeping it in way too small of a pot and I've barely fertilized it. For those who are curious, it gets full sun until about 2 PM and shade after that. I predict it could probably take a few more hours of full sun.

I love my JM tree. It has grown so much in just three years. I purchased a very small tree only because I did not have the budget for th...Read Moree $200.00 I really want. But it grows so well, and I just have not had the heart to really prune it. I have pruned earlier in the spring last year but very minimal amount. I really think it needs some shaping.
Question: when is the best time to prune, and what suggestions are out there about shaping and how much to prune. Besides my beautiful fringe tree, it is my favorite tree ever. When the fringe is in bloom, I have a hard time deciding. The JM is favored the rest of the time, and I want to be totally sure I know what I am doing.

I've been really impressed with the way this holds its color in the shade. The foliage looks good all season and I've been surprised with...Read More how fast it has grown for a Japanese maple. It's definitely one of my favorite weeping varieties and I've been able to find it cheaper then a lot of the other good ones.