always have character. This MacIntosh isn’t that old (mid-1960’s); it is badly in need of a trim. But, photographs like this help to illuminate the overall shape and character that catches and holds the eye. Pruning must take that into account to be aesthetically successful. Interestingly, the biggest limb under consideration for cutting is clearly not important in this picture. It is a minor one heading out to the left, away from the camera, duplicating another branch at a low level. It is lost in the leaves and with apple trees, it seems to me (in theory, poorly executed in practice) the structure should never vanish into the leaves completely. Which is why the green blob on another lawn (now with measles) is something of a frustration.*
*The Wolf River is very large, very green, and Very Full of large increasingly red apples! But a blob it is, despite quite a bit of trimming.
Acair Fearann 