In article ,
"louisxiv" writes:
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| The tree, which hasn't been pruned or cared for for about 10 years i'd
| guess, is looking a bit patchy but has enough life left in it to warrant
| some TLC and is about 12 feet tall. My question is what should be done about
| the substantial amount of roots that are now exposed? Should I leave them,
| prune them or find a way of covering them over again?
|
| The tree hasn't been pruned for years either. Advice please?

Elder self-seeds readily, grows very fast and is a tough as old boots.
In fertile ground, it is often short-lived, but can live quite a long
time. It is a very good tree to experiment on - if you did damage it
beyond repair and want to replace it, a new one won't take long to
grow to a good size.

I would prune it to shape (as hard as you like) and to remove roots
that get in the way, and otherwise not worry. Don't prune it annually,
or you will get no flowers.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.