Your landscape is finished; new trees, shrubs, paths, and a patio are all installed. Now you can just sit back and watch it grow…. right? You can do that, but if you want to maximize your investment you need to do more- you need to properly maintain your landscape.
And there is one aspect of landscape maintenance, in particular, that can take your garden from “good” to “great”. Aesthetic pruning, or skilled hand pruning, is often overlooked. But no other ongoing work in your garden will have larger impact.
When your trees and certain shrubs are pruned by hand, year after year, they can be shaped to maximize their natural structures while fitting perfectly where they have been planted. The pruning can be natural or it can fit a certain style (see pics below for examples). The key is find someone who really knows what they are doing and then turn them loose.
The hardest thing about aesthetic pruning? Finding some who is good at it, and who is accepting new clients. Very few people in Portland can truly be called aesthetic pruners, and most of them only do pruning- no lawn mowing, weeding, etc. So, yes, you will be adding another layer of care to your landscape.
I know of a few really good hand pruners, listed below. Know of another one? Please let me know and I will add them to the list!
Portland Area Aesthetic Pruners:
Michael Ellena. Michael is a fantastic artisan- with experience at the Anderson Japanese Garden, Portland Japanese Garden, Kurisu International, and many great private gardens. He is semi-retired and most likely won’t be able to take on your property. However, if your garden is truly special, you might consider locating him and making your plea!
Maryann Lewis. She is the co-founder of the Aesthetic Pruners Association and is highly respected in the field. She does excellent work for clients in NW Oregon and SW Washington, including for this client of ours.
Francheska Snyder of Niwa Method LLC. Francheska honed her craft at PJG, before starting her independent firm (more on her origin story here). I was introduced to her at a mature Kurisu garden in Portland’s SW hills. She had recently taken over the pruning and was obviously doing an excellent job (for a demanding client, who recommends her highly!) You can email her here.
Sean Fukuda. Sean does an excellent job for this client of mine. His rates are reasonable and his work speaks for itself. I believe you can contact him through his family’s nursery here.
Examples of well pruned gardens, all Ross NW Watergarden’s designs and/or installations:
