All gardens need trees for a variety of reasons. Some provide needed shade and a canopy for undergrowth. Some are the foundational pieces for the outdoor rooms that you create.
Some exude beauty by their mere presence. The Yellow Bird of Paradise, Caesalpinia gilliesii, was named in honor of Italian Andrea Cesalpini, a botanist, physician, philosopher and naturalist, and Scotsman John Gillies, surgeon and botanist. This plant can be either a shrub or a tree.
It can be pruned in the early spring right after dormancy and shaped to the form you would like to achieve. However, pruning is best done in the fall after it has blossomed. Some gardeners will prune up to a third of its growth, others will prune it all the way to the ground.
Being somewhat conservative in nature, I choose to moderately prune all of my trees. (Small mistakes may not be so noticeable and easily corrected later. Colossal mistakes are irreversible.
) The Yellow Bird of Paradise featured in the photograph has grown to its maximum height of 10 feet and width of 6 feet or more. I selectively prune the branches to develop a more full and dense appearance. Since these trees/shrubs are rapid growers, you will not have to wait too long to have the specimen looking as you desire.
This particular species is thornless, so you do not have to wear gloves when pruning. The Yellow Bird of Paradise can be contained in a patio pot. I have not experimented with this type of planting, but it is said that its growth will not be.
