Best time of year...

TinyTree

Hello to all, I have a juniper, elm and cherry brush that I have let go this year and now have considerable new growth on them. They don't even look like Bonsai anymore....more like bushes. I want to prune them back pretty hard into a pleasing shape. Its now August. When is the best time to do this?

Thanks for the responses

Some pics will probably surface of these so the great bonsai community can give me some tips on shape and style....

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RedPine

I would wait until next spring, hard pruning this late in the year means new and fragile growth that will barely have time to harden off properly before the winter frost starts. If you had a climate controlled green house say where the temp never gets much above 40f or below the freezing point to overwinter your trees in you could get away with it, but as cold as I imagine it gets in your zone I would fear severe die back hard cutting this late in the season. Maybe there is a fellow Coloroadoian on the forum that can get into more details for you.

rockm

Brush cherry is an Aussie native and tropical. Don't leave it outside in the fall through winter...

RedPine

Good catch on the LillyPilly, it was written backwards so my brain processed it backwards. I pictured in my mind a little import cherry with really nice ramification.