I will add that with bigger shrubs/trees, the rate of failure increases dramatically with age/size, especially in the landscape.
I've done root washing on numerous plants, and I'm not proud to say I lost the majority of them after one season. Even if they survive, there's so much die back that the initial form for which I bought them is gone.
Here's how I had to butcher a Carpinus japonica in the fall of 2021:
After that initial prune + last years' severe drought and high temps for weeks on end, it's lost 70% of the canopy this year, despite all the irrigating I did.
I've pruned most dead branches out (not all) and it looks absolutely mangled right now.
Also, the root flare doesn't look good either. Alot of dead patches (bark cracked etc)....I can see the wounds starting to close, but it'll take years.
My hope now is that since hornbeams tolerate hard pruning well, I can select a new canopy from the epicormic buds that broke into new shoots this spring.
I've made the decision for myself that I'll never again buy a tree of any large size/age anymore unless it's dirt cheap. The survival rate just isn't worth the cost and possible heartbreak.
I'll add a photo tomorrow of how it's looking right now.
