diff --git a/javafx-ui-controls/src/com/sun/javafx/scene/control/skin/TreeViewSkin.java b/javafx-ui-controls/src/com/sun/javafx/scene/control/skin/TreeViewSkin.java
--- a/javafx-ui-controls/src/com/sun/javafx/scene/control/skin/TreeViewSkin.java
+++ b/javafx-ui-controls/src/com/sun/javafx/scene/control/skin/TreeViewSkin.java
@@ -196,6 +196,12 @@
     }
 
     private void updateItemCount() {
+        int newCount = getItemCount();
+        
+        // RT-20090: refer to TreeView for further details on why -1 is treated
+        // like this.
+        if (newCount == -1) return;
+            
         // we're about to recreate all cells - but before that we detach them
         // from the TreeView, such that their listeners can be uninstalled.
         // If we don't do this, we start to get multiple events firing when
@@ -204,19 +210,11 @@
             ((TreeCell)flow.cells.get(i)).updateTreeView(null);
         }
         
-        int oldCount = flow.getCellCount();
-        int newCount = getItemCount();
-        
         // if this is not called even when the count is the same, we get a 
         // memory leak in VirtualFlow.sheet.children. This can probably be 
         // optimised in the future when time permits.
         flow.setCellCount(newCount);
-        
-        if (newCount != oldCount) {
-            flow.recreateCells();
-        } else {
-            flow.reconfigureCells();
-        }
+        flow.recreateCells();
     }
 
     @Override public TreeCell<T> createCell() {
diff --git a/javafx-ui-controls/src/javafx/scene/control/TreeView.java b/javafx-ui-controls/src/javafx/scene/control/TreeView.java
--- a/javafx-ui-controls/src/javafx/scene/control/TreeView.java
+++ b/javafx-ui-controls/src/javafx/scene/control/TreeView.java
@@ -865,6 +865,14 @@
     }
     
     private void updateTreeItemCount() {
+        treeItemCountDirty = false;
+        
+        // RT-20090 We set the TreeItemCount to -1 temporarily to indicate that
+        // the value is about to change, and to allow for events to fire even
+        // when the overall item count remains the same (yet the actual children
+        // have changed). We also have added code to the skin to ensure 
+        setTreeItemCount(-1);
+        
         if (getRoot() == null) {
             setTreeItemCount(0);
         } else if (! getRoot().isExpanded()) {
@@ -875,7 +883,6 @@
 
             setTreeItemCount(count);
         }
-        treeItemCountDirty = false;
     }
 
     private TreeItem getItem(TreeItem<T> parent, int itemIndex) {