Let them grow new branches for at least a few years before you start trying restorative pruning.

Meanwhile, if they are tall and sturdy enough you might try hanging him from one of the branches.

Fruit trees would not benefit from being turned into hat racks in July either. If your climate is at all hot and sunny in summer - as most populated parts of North America are - the first problem that may appear on the victims is burning of the branches. This is one of the reasons to leave them alone for awhile, to produce and retain as much replacement growth as possible.

Hey bboy,

The branches aren't strong enough to hang him yet, but I've got a couple of nice redwood beams in my garage that might do the trick :)

Just for my own personal knowledge, since I'm a newbie. Why am I waiting a couple of years to trim the maple? Is it to allow the branches to harden and have a better variety of branches to choose from? Until then, I guess I'll have to live with my maple bush :)

You want it to shade itself as quickly as possible, the more branches the more shade. The leaves on the branches are also what makes food (from the sun, this ability being of green plants being one of the marvels of our planet) - the more leaf area, the more food it can make. One of the problems with severe crown reduction is how it throws a tree's energy budget out of whack, sometimes mature specimens do not recover from this effect.

Good explanation. Thanks for all of your help. I'll be following your advice.

Why would your dad come and trim your tree? That's just plain crazy talk...

Can you post photos? It's a little difficult to tell from your description just how severe the damage was and that will determine what your course of action should be going forward. Remedial pruning of a grossly mispruned J. maple is a tricky business.....they may never regain their former appearance.

FWIW, depending on cultivar, $300 for a mature JM is very conservative :-) I've seen them go for as much as multiple thousands.

And going forward, I'd make sure your dad was politely instructed NOT to undertake any more yard work without your express permission and direction.

OMG... I would cry! My mother over-pruned our dogwood trying to "help" shape it last season. I was trimming a broken branch on another tree and I came around the corner about 2 seconds to late the stop the madness. It looks like a Q-tip right now!! Sniff, sniff....

We bought some baby crimson Queens last year ($90 and $15). She said something about shaping it and cliping branches this spring. I told my mother she better not go near them with a 10 foot pole. There will be NO pruning on the Japanese maples!

Good Luck!