The Art of Pruning Japanese Maples

Description
Join certified aesthetic pruner Michael Alliger for a hands-on look at the are of pruning Japanese maples.

Participants will learn about the delicate yet sometimes insistent growth pattern of both upright and downward-growing specimens. Special consideration will be given to eliciting and maintaining the essential characteristics of the trees within the requirements of the garden design such as it is; requirements such as hardscape, pathways, viewpoints, and exposure.

We will look at the tree’s role in the garden, whether focal, background or complementary. When to prune and how to followup will be integral to our exploration. Correct approaches and techniques will be demonstrated on trees in the gWestern Hills Garden.

Details
Cost: $50
Time: 10-1pm

Instructor Bio: Michael Alliger completed a six-year apprenticeship with master pruner Dennis Makishima at Merritt College before forming his own freelance Fine Pruning business in the 1980s. Michael has taught aesthetic pruning at Merritt College, Santa Rosa Junior College, Master Gardeners of Marin County, and the International Maple Society. He is a recurring presenter at the National Japanese Garden Association. Among his local clients, Michael has been implementing the pruning design of Osmosis Day Spa Sanctuary in Freestone since 1993.