How to Shape a Japanese Blueberry Shrub Into a Tree Shape
The Japanese blueberry shrub is an attractive evergreen. Its green, glossy leaves turn bright red in the autumn and will drop off, but new leaves will immediately grow in; new leaves are usually bronze-colored. Japanese blueberry shrubs display creamy-white, bell-shaped flowers in the spring, and landscapers praise its blue-black berries for not staining sidewalks. Different varieties of Japanese blueberry shrubs grow to varying heights. You can trim any variety of Japanese blueberry shrub into an ornamental tree shape. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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1
Remove the lowest horizontal branches of your Japanese blueberry shrub. Use hedge clippers to cut the branches where they join the tree. Use a bow saw to remove branches that are too thick for the hedge clippers.
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2
Trim away any small, twig-like growths on the trunk of the shrub using pruning shears.
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3
Step back and look at your shrub to decide if you want the bare portion of the trunk to be any taller.
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4
Repeat steps 1 and 2 if you want a taller bare trunk.
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5
Step back and take another look; repeat this process until you have uncovered as much bare trunk as you want.
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6
Shape the top of the shrub into a rounded dome with a flat bottom using pruning shears or a tree pruner. Start at the center of the top of the tree and trim down one side and then the other with the pruning shears or tree pruner, stepping back and looking frequently to make sure the sides are symmetrical. Then start at one side and trim from the top down, gradually circling around the back to the other side. Repeat this procedure for the front of the tree. Then use pruning shears to trim the bottoms of the branches into a flat shape, stepping back and looking frequently to make sure that you are keeping the bottom level.
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Tips & Warnings
The Japanese blueberry shrub has a moderate growth rate, so it may take awhile for your plant to reach the height you want.
Some Japanese blueberry shrubs top out at a height of 6 to 8 feet, while other varieties may grow as tall as 60 feet, so make sure to plant a variety that will be the size you want.
