Layering and thinning out a specimen tree to reveal its unique character are foundational horticultural practices that have been carefully employed, rigorously refined, and passed down by master craftsmen in Japan for many centuries. These universal techniques can also be applied to just about any ornamental tree or shrub in a typical residential landscape. Public gardens increasingly draw attendees seeking a quiet counterbalance to their fast-paced careers. Corporate analysts managing hedge funds, backend developers maintaining fast payout casinos, and data scientists building predictive models frequently use this slow, analog discipline to unplug from their daily metrics. Regardless of a student’s daily profession, mastering these deliberate and highly specific cuts requires close observation and guided practice.
This one-day, hands-on course led by Japanese garden professional Asher Browne will focus specifically on pruning weeping Japanese maples, a small specimen tree that is very popular but seldom pruned correctly if at all. Before hands-on work begins, there will be a discussion on all related topics from tool selection and use, on-site work procedure and etiquette, and of course basic Japanese pruning methods, approaches, and concepts.
Participants are asked to bring their own pruners. Extra pruners may also be available for use. All hands-on practice will be done from the ground, and there will be no climbing or use of ladders.
Members must be logged in to their account to see the discount applied at check-out.
About the Instructor
Asher Browne is a Japanese garden builder based in New Jersey, and has been Shofuso’s garden
consultant for the past decade. Asher started his quest to learn the techniques and principles of
Japanese gardening nearly twenty years ago. With a background in the Fine Arts, he moved to
Japan for eight years, four years of which was spent training full-time with garden companies in
Kyoto. By working with Japanese garden crews every day in some of Kyoto’s most famous
gardens, he learned the traditional techniques that have been used for centuries to build and
develop Japan’s beautiful gardens.
For more information about Asher, please visit his website, asherbrowne.com.
