We live in the SF Bay Area and our Japanese Maples are leafed out now. Unfortunately, our gardener "topped" our coral bark and Seiryu in the wintertime and now the growth in the middle of the tree is quite dense and bushy. Is it ok to think out the middle of the trees now? What is the best way to prune these and keep their natural shape and when is the best time to do it?

As for the butterfly, I know it's growth habit is quite twiggy naturally and it's actually grown quite tall in the 5 years we've had it. What if any pruning should be done on this tree?

Thanks in advance for any help.