The Green Industry's Resource Center

Mark Oomkes · #41 07-31-2011, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PerfectEarth

http://www.plantamnesty.org/PRUNING/shearmadness.aspx

".... shearing does great violence to plants which have been chosen for their secondary characteristic of fine branch patterns. Such a plant is Star Magnolia, which is valued for its flowers, but is also valued for its beautiful branch patterns and fuzzy buds. Other trees and shrubs highly valued for their fine branch patterns are the double file viburnum, Harry Lauder's walking stick, Japanese maple and Eastern dogwood. Shearing ruins them."

(boxwoods above look great, btw...)

Agreed, the boxwoods do look great.

OP, can you revisit this thread this winter with pics of the above trees and shrubs minus the leaves?

Then we can see if you are as good as you say you are.

AK0tA · #42 07-31-2011, 08:08 PM

Lots of hot heads on here I see. Glad I joined these forums. From my 27" computer screen these maples look fantastic. Job well done! I know from experience that a job like this takes a lot of time, patience and an artfull eye. Don't let the old stuffies bring you down by telling you that IT MUST BE DONE by the BOOK.

From were I was trained to trim we had no book just a couple hundred years of experience. Longwood Gardens near philly has many japanese maples in many shapes and sizes. As does Busch Gardens, Great Adventure, Hershey Park and many more notable gardens around the globe. True fact is that the japanese maples will be stronger and healthier in a more natural state, however they can and will live healthy for 75+ years in any shape you desire to train them in.

I say ya gots a good eye, keep up the good work and happy pruning.

I think a few are trying to help and point out what they perceive to be "proper" technique, good to see just their approach is poor.

PL&L · #43 07-31-2011, 08:38 PM

that doesnt even look close to right. The rest of the bushes look great though!

turfcarelawns · #44 07-31-2011, 08:45 PM

Us "old stuffies" do go by the book. The landscape maintenance books written by other landscape maintenance professionals who have learned from there mistakes and passed that knowledge on to us present day landscape maintenance professionals. We all need to make sure we read and learn our profession. That is why clients hire us to perform these specific services. They intrust in us to have done our research about plants and proper maintenance techniques for our industry. We all have said that he is really good with a hedge trimmer, and the shrubs look excellent.

ArenaLandscaping · #45 08-01-2011, 05:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PL&L

that doesnt even look close to right. The rest of the bushes look great though!

Thanks for your 2 cents!! I would like to clarify something. I never said that the only way to trim a Jap maple is with a hedge trimmer These particular trees are trimmed this way to fit the landscape, I have many other customers with Jap maples and they are trimmed with a hand pruner and small pruning saw. I have read many, many books on horticulture. The thread was not "This is how you trim a jap maple". I have built my business with this account. I get paid a ridiculous amount of money to trim those trees that way. The simple fact is, I stand out from others and I will continue to do it that way.

Mark Oomkes · #46 08-01-2011, 06:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArenaLandscaping R.I.

Thanks for your 2 cents!! I would like to clarify something. I never said that the only way to trim a Jap maple is with a hedge trimmer These particular trees are trimmed this way to fit the landscape, I have many other customers with Jap maples and they are trimmed with a hand pruner and small pruning saw. I have read many, many books on horticulture. The thread was not "This is how you trim a jap maple". I have built my business with this account. I get paid a ridiculous amount of money to trim those trees that way. The simple fact is, I stand out from others and I will continue to do it that way.

Great, so we can look forward to those pics of the Jap maples when they are dormant?

Az Gardener · #47 08-01-2011, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArenaLandscaping R.I.

Thanks for your 2 cents!! I would like to clarify something. I never said that the only way to trim a Jap maple is with a hedge trimmer These particular trees are trimmed this way to fit the landscape, I have many other customers with Jap maples and they are trimmed with a hand pruner and small pruning saw. I have read many, many books on horticulture. The thread was not "This is how you trim a jap maple". I have built my business with this account. I get paid a ridiculous amount of money to trim those trees that way. The simple fact is, I stand out from others and I will continue to do it that way.

If you think you stand out your mistaken because that's how the majority of everyone trims here (to my dismay) and much more intricate shapes than an umbrella.

I think the consensus is that hedge trimming is the overwhelming dominant method of trimming. You want to impress us do it by hand pruning.

JDiepstra · #48 08-01-2011, 11:33 AM

5 pages of negativity in this thread tells me there are plenty of you guys who dont have enough lawns to mow. Perhaps you should buy a smaller mower so you can fill out your days a little. While i agree that it doesnt look natural, i think it fits well with the rest of the landscaping and the tree is obviously healthy.

ArenaLandscaping · #49 08-01-2011, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JDiepstra

5 pages of negativity in this thread tells me there are plenty of you guys who dont have enough lawns to mow. Perhaps you should buy a smaller mower so you can fill out your days a little. While i agree that it doesnt look natural, i think it fits well with the rest of the landscaping and the tree is obviously healthy.

Thanks for your comments, you a few other guys on the forum know how to leave a comment or opinion without being rude or insulting. And yes this was a very negative thread!

Az Gardener · #50 08-01-2011, 04:06 PM

I don't think it is negative... maybe spirited. I have to say the first guy who said you "Hacked them up" could have stated his position more gently but we are all big boys here.

Your response was less than professional, immediately lashing out against everyone who gave honest criticism of your methodology. Our intent is not to belittle you but to educate you and others following this thread. Many have quoted and provided links to industry standards documentation backing up our position. You have provided no documentation or industry standards to validate your trimming methods.

Yet you continue to throw gas on the fire by claiming we are all wrong and assaulting our skills, calling us jealous and other names even though you have no evidence or idea of what our skill level is, our level of horticultural education, our years of experience in the field. None of that matters to you because you just cant accept that anyone but you is right about this.

You are the one who posted your work for all the world to see, then later proclaimed you are humble. Your dialog illustrates anything but humility.