Snip. Snip. Snip. Pruning like a Professional

Categories: Home & Gardening , Nonfiction

I love a book that sneaks up on you.  Leafing through the pages of Cass Turnbull's Guide to Pruning I noticed chapter 3 on water sprouts and suckers.  Maybe this expert can explain the difference between the two terms. 

She did.  The good news is that now I know the difference.  The bad news is that my pear trees will take a while to recover.  I read another chapter and another.  A reference to PlantAmnesty made me realize that it might be a good idea to read the Introduction.  And the Foreward.  And so forth.   I did skip the part about pruning escallonia.  She lives in Seattle.  I live in Cincinnati.  Escallonia is not an option for Cincinnati.

Her humor works for me, too.  Turnbull has headings like Justifiable Arboricide and quotes the Indian chief in the movie Little Big Man.  "It's a good day to die."  The line drawn illustrations are perfect.  Figure 6.4 shows three uses for retired pruning holsters:  a piercing object, Chia Pet, Lunch box.  Cute but not over the top. 

Turnbull wrote each article  for PlantAmnesty's newletter.  She digs down to get to the root of pruning problems.  She cautions that it sometimes feels counter-intuitve to prune the right way. More importantly, she explains why shearing isn't the best solution and that even pruning won't keep a shrub from growing to its ultimate size.

Cass Turnbull founded PlantAmnesty, a tongue-in-cheek title for a somewhat serious organization.  The organization's mission is to end the senseless torture and mutilation of trees and shrubs.  They use a variety of ways to educate the public, including a bad pruning gallery on the website.

Look for Turnbull's other book  The complete guide to landscape design, renovation and maintenance.  A practical handbook for the home landscape  gardener as well.