The practice of pruning for aesthetics takes into account the inherent gracefulness of trees. We often work on trees to keep them in scale with our enclosed landscapes, to keep branches from scraping roofs and windows, or to allow more light to pass through them to our patios. While pruning to achieve these practical results, an aesthetic pruner is mindful of a tree's beauty and complexity, from its root crown to its trunk and on up to its branches, twigs, and leaves. We consider its relationship to the other plants and forms in the garden, as well as its overall health, and finally when we walk away from that tree and turn to look at it, we want to see it expressing itself, in spite of our interventions. We want to see how it grows according to its very particular patterns and rhythms and ways of absorbing light and taking up nutrients and transforming these substances into an individual, vital network of bark, branches, and leaves.
To learn more about aesthetic pruning and the Aesthetic Pruners Association, please visit the website through the APA link in the index.