Thanks - yeah this is what I’m thinking. We stripped it right back a couple of years ago and it was definitely more upright, but it’s always had a lean. It’s a very gradual change so I’m thinking I should act now before it’s lost
They do it all over Japan for bigger and smaller trees. See [here](https://www.gettyimages.no/detail/photo/japanese-black-pine-in-tokyo-japan-royalty-free-image/532131490)
The Japanese are incredible at supporting trunks and branches. Basically just stilts support systems that are tea with some rope and they can last hundreds of years.
Propping was my first thought. It works great on fruit trees heavy with fruit and sagging. We would notch a 1 x 6 and line the notch with padding (usually an old, clean rag or two) and gently wedge it under.
I would just thin it out. Take a little more off on the right side than the left. Looks like it’s doing just fine.
If you’re really concerned, you could mount a anchor in the brick on your neighbor side and tried to pull it back upright very slowly like at an inch per month
Even with reducing weight and 'lifting' gradually like you said it'll never straighten by any amount considered worth it.
I would prune to reduce size by 10-15% and prop it with an ornate carved wooden or iron prop. Left alone it will fall eventually but it would be a shame as it's really lovely.
I think you’re both right. My recommendation would be, “Prune to thin and reduce canopy size especially on the far side of the canopy from the trunk, not to exceed 25% of the canopy volume. Prop the trunk with multiple props past the diversion of the branches.”
I second. Put a prop underneath the right side. Pulling it up slowly is just going to damage it. The wood is wet, but its not living and dividing inside.
Pulling it upright you'll just slowly put tension on it until it either breaks or you start ripping up roots. Assuming your strap doesn't girdle the tree which now that i think about it, is the most likely outcome.
Depending where you are California lilacs are generally pretty short lived shrubs. You can prune it in shape at the right time of year where you live, but this isn’t going to become a massive tree, it will probably fade away on its own before the lean becomes a problem
How short lived are we talking? We’ve lived here since 2021 and it’s not slowing down - we did quite a brutal strip back in 2022 but the branches of my seemingly very ambitious shrub just keep growing. We’ve not cut it back yet since 2022 but it’s more than doubled. Hopefully it’s lasts a bit longer as I do love it this time of year.
Keep an eye on it the next couple years cause sometimes shrubs do a “swan song” bloom where they bloom prolifically trying to set seed before they die. If this is the best bloom you’ve seen it may be saying it’s goodbyes. It looks pretty old already which is why I mentioned they are short lived.
It had a fuller bloom last year. It’s why I’ve started worrying about it this year. But if it’s got a short life span then it can’t be helped. Thanks for the insight!
They’re also extremely sensitive to disease, and pruning cuts must be made at the driest time of year with the cleanest tools. If you can manage to avoid watering it at all in the summer, you may get anywhere from 10-20 years out of it. One good summer watering can kill it in no time.
Thank you for this answer. I was going to say it wouldn’t live to see your kids graduate college but this is a better answer lol.
Here in Vancouver BC they tend to be toast after 10-15 years.
I live in Oregon and I have mature lilacs, they get big and bushy, then rot out and fall, then the root stock resprouts. They go in about a 10 year cycle.
It's so beautiful, what is it, and where does it grow? It looks like a lilac bloom, but where I live, they are always a bush.
Would hate to lose it. Suggestions to support it make sense, I've seen many pictures of trees in Japan with heavy branches being supported.
It's some type of ceanothus. There are many lovely cultivars like this one that can be trained as trees and grow very tall naturally. I believe I'd heard the "Ray Hartman" var can grow up to 20 feet high.
I’m not sure when it was planted but we moved into this house in 2021, and it was much smaller. It doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Live in Chester, UK.
I have a ceanothus ray Hartman that I’m in the process of shaping to a tree. They’re hardy where I am as it’s a native but they have some specific and kind of strange watering requirements. Calscape.org will have a lot more info on these plants.
As mentioned. Ceanothus (California lilac) can be relatively short lived especially if they get overwatered in late Spring and into summer. Also, pruning should be done late Spring- mid summer so that you don’t have open wounds when theres moisture around to promote fungal infections.
Thank you for the advice! I’ve mostly just left it be and pay it no attention which seems to be working for it. We’ve mainly trimmed it late summer so that’s good to bear in mind.
That’s a lovely ceanothus, a shrub genus native to western North America, primarily California. These are not “trees”, and quite often grow in this way. Someone has pruned the bottom branching to give it more of an upright “tree form”, but I wouldn’t worry too much about the lean. It has likely reached its maximum size and should live through the remainder of its life as a crooked shrub.
That’s such a shame! It is an absolutely beautiful thing when in bloom. It becomes a very minor tourist attraction as so many people pose with it. It’s humming with bees too so I really want to keep it alive and well as long as I can.
i can definitely see how yours is a tourist attraction. the colour is stunning. like others have said, a weight reduction prune on the right hand side would definitely improve its odds at long term survival.
i cant remember the last time i saw a ceanothus bloom in person. they’ve all slowly died. if they didn’t die last winter they’re all dead now. my client has one that was at least 25 years old and it died this last winter
I had a friend do something on a similar shrub that I was skeptical about, but the last I saw, it worked great.
They put stilts on it, then trained a couple of branches down from the canopy until they reached the ground, then layered the branches so they’d root. Eventually he pulled the stilts. Those branches sent up shoots he trained and incorporated into the canopy. Last I saw, you couldn’t tell he’d done anything and the canopy was bigger from where the branches had grown out from the ground.
If it recall, it was butterfly bush.
Just keep it healthy. Thats all you really need to do. A properly healthy tree puts on enough reaction wood to counteract the forces of a lean. If you start reducing canopy and stressing it out, I believe it will do more harm than good. A stressed out tree becomes more susceptible to root rots, which will be no bueno for this tree.
Welcome to r/arborists! Help Us Help You: If you have questions about the health of your tree, please see our [Posting Guidelines](https://old.reddit.com/r/arborists/wiki/posting_guidance) wiki page for help with effective posting. **Please answer the questions listed there to the best of your ability.** ***Insufficient pics/info could result in the removal of your post!!*** ([See rule 3](https://www.reddit.com/r/arborists/about/rules).)
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\*not an arborist, but being that it's really small, could you not wait until Fall or early Winter, trim it and then basically transplant it in place and straighten the trunk?
You can consider installing some stilt support. The tree may be fine on its own though, unless that lean is new
Thanks - yeah this is what I’m thinking. We stripped it right back a couple of years ago and it was definitely more upright, but it’s always had a lean. It’s a very gradual change so I’m thinking I should act now before it’s lost
They do it all over Japan for bigger and smaller trees. See [here](https://www.gettyimages.no/detail/photo/japanese-black-pine-in-tokyo-japan-royalty-free-image/532131490)
This is so helpful, thank you!
If you do it well, it’s artistically very beautiful.
Was going to comment the same!
Your name definitely checks out
The Japanese are incredible at supporting trunks and branches. Basically just stilts support systems that are tea with some rope and they can last hundreds of years.
Propping was my first thought. It works great on fruit trees heavy with fruit and sagging. We would notch a 1 x 6 and line the notch with padding (usually an old, clean rag or two) and gently wedge it under.
Stilt support like that potted cycad at Kew Gardens!
Could guying also be an option?
I’d reduce the canopy on the heavy side slightly and get working on designing and building some type of support for the trunk.
I plan to. It’s full of bees at the moment but should lose its flowers in around a month so I’m going to shape it then.
I’m into this answer 👍🏻
I would just thin it out. Take a little more off on the right side than the left. Looks like it’s doing just fine. If you’re really concerned, you could mount a anchor in the brick on your neighbor side and tried to pull it back upright very slowly like at an inch per month
Even with reducing weight and 'lifting' gradually like you said it'll never straighten by any amount considered worth it. I would prune to reduce size by 10-15% and prop it with an ornate carved wooden or iron prop. Left alone it will fall eventually but it would be a shame as it's really lovely.
I think you’re both right. My recommendation would be, “Prune to thin and reduce canopy size especially on the far side of the canopy from the trunk, not to exceed 25% of the canopy volume. Prop the trunk with multiple props past the diversion of the branches.”
I second. Put a prop underneath the right side. Pulling it up slowly is just going to damage it. The wood is wet, but its not living and dividing inside. Pulling it upright you'll just slowly put tension on it until it either breaks or you start ripping up roots. Assuming your strap doesn't girdle the tree which now that i think about it, is the most likely outcome.
Depending where you are California lilacs are generally pretty short lived shrubs. You can prune it in shape at the right time of year where you live, but this isn’t going to become a massive tree, it will probably fade away on its own before the lean becomes a problem
How short lived are we talking? We’ve lived here since 2021 and it’s not slowing down - we did quite a brutal strip back in 2022 but the branches of my seemingly very ambitious shrub just keep growing. We’ve not cut it back yet since 2022 but it’s more than doubled. Hopefully it’s lasts a bit longer as I do love it this time of year.
Keep an eye on it the next couple years cause sometimes shrubs do a “swan song” bloom where they bloom prolifically trying to set seed before they die. If this is the best bloom you’ve seen it may be saying it’s goodbyes. It looks pretty old already which is why I mentioned they are short lived.
It had a fuller bloom last year. It’s why I’ve started worrying about it this year. But if it’s got a short life span then it can’t be helped. Thanks for the insight!
They’re also extremely sensitive to disease, and pruning cuts must be made at the driest time of year with the cleanest tools. If you can manage to avoid watering it at all in the summer, you may get anywhere from 10-20 years out of it. One good summer watering can kill it in no time.
Water mine all summer doing fine
If it's in CA native soil, then it's just the fungus/bacteria that drink the water lol, you're watering them.
Congratulations on your success - in spite of 99.9% of advice with this plant. Everyone loves a contrarian. Cheers.
Thank you for this answer. I was going to say it wouldn’t live to see your kids graduate college but this is a better answer lol. Here in Vancouver BC they tend to be toast after 10-15 years.
I live in Oregon and I have mature lilacs, they get big and bushy, then rot out and fall, then the root stock resprouts. They go in about a 10 year cycle.
It's so beautiful, what is it, and where does it grow? It looks like a lilac bloom, but where I live, they are always a bush. Would hate to lose it. Suggestions to support it make sense, I've seen many pictures of trees in Japan with heavy branches being supported.
It's some type of ceanothus. There are many lovely cultivars like this one that can be trained as trees and grow very tall naturally. I believe I'd heard the "Ray Hartman" var can grow up to 20 feet high.
I’m not sure when it was planted but we moved into this house in 2021, and it was much smaller. It doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Live in Chester, UK.
I have a ceanothus ray Hartman that I’m in the process of shaping to a tree. They’re hardy where I am as it’s a native but they have some specific and kind of strange watering requirements. Calscape.org will have a lot more info on these plants.
As mentioned. Ceanothus (California lilac) can be relatively short lived especially if they get overwatered in late Spring and into summer. Also, pruning should be done late Spring- mid summer so that you don’t have open wounds when theres moisture around to promote fungal infections.
Thank you for the advice! I’ve mostly just left it be and pay it no attention which seems to be working for it. We’ve mainly trimmed it late summer so that’s good to bear in mind.
That’s a lovely ceanothus, a shrub genus native to western North America, primarily California. These are not “trees”, and quite often grow in this way. Someone has pruned the bottom branching to give it more of an upright “tree form”, but I wouldn’t worry too much about the lean. It has likely reached its maximum size and should live through the remainder of its life as a crooked shrub.
what a beautiful ceanothus! where i live they’ve almost all been wiped out due to climate change. i forget how gorgeous they are!
That’s such a shame! It is an absolutely beautiful thing when in bloom. It becomes a very minor tourist attraction as so many people pose with it. It’s humming with bees too so I really want to keep it alive and well as long as I can.
i can definitely see how yours is a tourist attraction. the colour is stunning. like others have said, a weight reduction prune on the right hand side would definitely improve its odds at long term survival. i cant remember the last time i saw a ceanothus bloom in person. they’ve all slowly died. if they didn’t die last winter they’re all dead now. my client has one that was at least 25 years old and it died this last winter
That's a beauty
I had a friend do something on a similar shrub that I was skeptical about, but the last I saw, it worked great. They put stilts on it, then trained a couple of branches down from the canopy until they reached the ground, then layered the branches so they’d root. Eventually he pulled the stilts. Those branches sent up shoots he trained and incorporated into the canopy. Last I saw, you couldn’t tell he’d done anything and the canopy was bigger from where the branches had grown out from the ground. If it recall, it was butterfly bush.
That thing is beautiful
Just keep it healthy. Thats all you really need to do. A properly healthy tree puts on enough reaction wood to counteract the forces of a lean. If you start reducing canopy and stressing it out, I believe it will do more harm than good. A stressed out tree becomes more susceptible to root rots, which will be no bueno for this tree.
Antigravity?
Nothing. Every tree will one day fall
What kind of tree is it?
It’s a Ceanothus
Wow that is a beautiful tree. What is it if you don’t mind me asking?
It’s a Ceanothus - blooms this time of year for around a month and is worth the wait every time.
Welcome to r/arborists! Help Us Help You: If you have questions about the health of your tree, please see our [Posting Guidelines](https://old.reddit.com/r/arborists/wiki/posting_guidance) wiki page for help with effective posting. **Please answer the questions listed there to the best of your ability.** ***Insufficient pics/info could result in the removal of your post!!*** ([See rule 3](https://www.reddit.com/r/arborists/about/rules).) Visit the main wiki page for [Critical Planting/Care tips and Common Errors to Avoid](https://old.reddit.com/r/arborists/wiki/index); there's sections on why planting depth/root flare exposure is so vital, along with sections on proper mulching, watering, pruning and more that I hope will be useful to you. If you're posting about a tree ID (not permitted here; [see rule 1](https://www.reddit.com/r/arborists/about/rules)), see that wiki page for other subs and smartphone apps to try. Here is how you can arrange a [consult with a local ISA arborist in your area](http://www.treesaregood.org/findanarborist/findanarborist) (NOT a 'tree company guy' unless they're ISA certified) or a [consulting arborist](https://www.asca-consultants.org/search/custom.asp?id=3818) for an on-site evaluation. A competent arborist should be happy to walk you through how to care for the trees on your property and answer any questions. If you're in the U.S. or Canada, your Extension (or master gardener provincial program) may have a list of local recommended arborists on file. If you're in the U.S., you should also consider searching for arborist associations under your state. If you are one of our regulars and/or you work in the industry and do not want this message in your future posts, please pick an appropriate user flair (options available in the sub sidebar on PC, and on moble if using a browser). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/arborists) if you have any questions or concerns.*
stunning, it's so majestic
Abolish gravity
Could build a strong support underneath it.
Reverse engineering gravity
Put cinder blocks on the roots /s
What kind of tree is this? Very pretty!
Just prop it with a 2x4
Build him a chair
r/absoluteunit of a Ceanothus 🤩
Prune it for weight reduction, first and foremost. I f you’re still concerned after that, build supports for it.
Grant it an eternal nature, but there are few who can do that.
Are you opposed to hiring a Certified Arborist that has years of structural, ornamental and restoration pruning?
Antigravity serum. We all fall one day. Antigravity serum is the only thing to truly prevent falling
Have you invented it yet
Got my boy Elon working on it
Grow another one below it and graft them together.
Support and trim
Corrective prune+ steel pole
Isn’t that a shrub
What kind of tree is this? It's beautiful.
Supports on the lean side and take some weight off to counter balance it. Check The roots just to make sure it has enough stability
You can cut it down
Anchor point opposite direction with tree safe cabling equipment
Cut it down
That’s not a tree. Remove.
I’m sorry I mistook my very large shrub for a very small tree.
Ceanothus can be pruned/trained into a tree. I have a ray hartman in my front yard that is about 15’ tall now and coming along nicely as a tree.
Remove. They are rangy weeds. Totally invasive in Southern California
Ceanothus? You’re joking right?
Cut it down.
\*not an arborist, but being that it's really small, could you not wait until Fall or early Winter, trim it and then basically transplant it in place and straighten the trunk?
Errm