Question
Hi!  I have live in PA outside of Phila.  My forest pansy tree in the back yard died over the winter and the one in the front is budding on 3/4 of the tree but one side is dead.  What should I do to keep this tree alive?  Should I trim the dead branches?  This would make it look lopsided.  Since it is in my front yard I want it to look somewhat attractive.  Help

Answer
Since the branches are dead the tree is already looking lopsided. I would definately prune the dead branches- diseases enter through dead branches and these need to be cut and distroyed. I would then think about shaping up the rest of the tree by pruning back some of the small branches as you might trim back your hair to make it look neat. How much would be difficult for me to say since I do not know the size or the shape of the tree. Redbuds are prone to breakage so you want to prune to give the tree strength. Here is a web site that gives some further details on Redbud.  http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/trees/CERCANC.pdf