What is Aesthetic Pruning? Pruning with Design Intent.

"Aesthetic Pruning embraces the creative interpretation of small trees and shrubs in the urban context. The living art form combines the artistic skill of the pruner, the essence of a tree, the science of horticulture and needs of the clients and surroundings." - Dennis Makishima, founder of the Merritt College Aesthetic Pruning Club in Oakland California.

This definition is packed with layers of information and describes what is essentially a specific approach to pruning. This approach requires assimilating more than just horticultural knowledge. Aesthetic pruning demands the full attention of the pruner and a long term strategic plan. It is creative problem solving at its finest.

In 2014 I gave a presentation to the North American Japanese Garden Association in Chicago. My presentation was called The Influence and Application of Aesthetic Pruning. As I developed the presentation, I searched far and wide to find people or organizations with a similar approach. I found bits and pieces mainly within the field of Japanese gardening but none that could express the concepts Dennis and Michael Alliger (my instructor) explained so clearly in the classes at Merritt College. Bonsai was the only other place I found a consistent dialog about design concepts within a tree but bonsai does not address the garden context. The field of arboriculture in the west focuses heavily on large trees, and for good reason! Safety is always an important concern. Yet our gardens are full of small trees with very different relationships and possibilities. It is these smaller trees where the aesthetic pruning approach shines bright.

For my presentation I searched for a way to explain the process inherent in Dennis's definition. How is aesthetic pruning different from other ways of pruning? The science is the same, but aesthetic pruning is pruning with design intent.

My architectural education at Montana State University, Bozeman taught me creative problem solving but I never dreamed it could be applied to pruning trees. Dennis's aesthetic pruning approach does just this and has opened my eyes and heart to a way of working with trees I never dreamed possible.