droop clusters of modest yellow flowers cover the canopy of matured Chinese flaming trees in other summer . The show does n’t terminate with that , since the flush suppurate into pink 2 - inch long fruits with the tone of delicate composition lantern . Flowers and fruit rise above the tree diagram ’s canopy on panicle stems , giving the Formosan flaming tree a showy look for most of the develop season . Without proper pruning , flame trees may be unawares - know , since branch break and trunks split easily . Even mature flame trees 40 to 60 feet tall need annual attention .
Step 1
Train young Chinese fire trees to a exclusive primal loss leader . clip off any competing vertical shoots to avoid the double - trunked form the flame tree naturally favors .
Step 2
Prune off downcast limbs when the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree reaches 15 feet in height . limb sag when heavy with with foliage and prime , arrive at access beneath the tree limited . Keep independent branch above headspring pinnacle to permit elbow room for mowers .
Step 3
Watch for double stems and limbs with V - shaped saddle – the connexion between branch and trunk . The weak wood of the fire Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree often splits under form – favor the branch with rounded saddles over those with V - mould junction .
Step 4
relieve the consignment on weak branches by clipping up to a third of the side branches back to the main stem . Reducing the weighting also lift the offshoot . Trimming out side branches does less harm to the shape of the tree than terminate trimming .
Step 5
audit the upper structure of the Formosan flaming tree during the winter when the foliage fall . lop out weak or damaged limbs , dead wood and upright arm which compete with the chief stem .
Tip
Remove any limbs which show barque inclusion at the connection between branch and trunk . Bark pockets mark sapless junctions and are the first to fail in storm and mellow winds . Save a few clusters of " paper lantern " fruits for use in dry flower display .
Warning
Older and taller Taiwanese flame trees often suffer stark legal injury because the upper canopy produce out of grasp of trimming tools . Faults develop in the highest level of the tree could eventually split the crown . Consider 30 old age of age the upper average lifetime of the Chinese flame Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree and make unattackable species the pillar of the home landscape painting .
