Our Services
Ornamental garden tree & shrub pruning
Provide a balance between structural and aesthetic pruning for your tree or shrub depending on its role in your garden and the age of the tree. We foster a long-term relationship (multiyear plan) with our clients to ensure each tree looks it best in the garden.
California native plants
Each shrub or tree is pruned based on published best practices or practical experience learned from local experts. Each plant will be cross checked against our pruning data base to ensure it is pruned at the optimum time of year to ensure continued plant health and abundant flowering.
Pine pruning
Japanese black pines are pruned once in the fall/winter to improve tree structure, remove dead needles and set tree up for next year’s growth. Spring candle pruning may or may not be required depending on the vigor of the tree and growing conditions. The same principles can be applied to most other pines with some adjustments made for each species and their role in the garden.
Maple pruning
In southern California Japanese maples should be pruned every year depending on their role in the garden.
For Japanese maples green leaf variety, structural work is done during the dormant period in the fall/winter with a second pruning in late spring to thin out some of the new growth and set up the canopy for the rest of the growing season. Adjustments are made depending on site, tree vigor and growing conditions.
Japanese lace leaf maples are pruned in late fall to accentuate the winter silhouette. Some light thinning may or may not be needed in late spring after the new years growth has hardened off.
Fruit tree pruning
Fruit trees and citrus trees will be pruned to optimize backyard fruit production. Tree height will be kept at 6-8 feet to make it easier to pick fruit.
Fruit tree structural pruning is done in the winter while tree is dormant and a second light thinning may be needed to set up the tree for next years structural pruning.
Citrus trees pruning depends on the health and vigor and growing conditions. Larger structural cuts are best done in late fall or winter or right after fruit harvest in early spring. Smaller thinning and reduction cuts can done throughout the year over multiple visits if the tree reacts vigorously to a pruning event.
Aesthetic assessment
Confirm each plant’s role in the garden and confirm why the tree or shrub is being pruned. Focal point tree or shrub will be pruned to showcase their branch structure, spring fruits, fall color or winter silhouette. While background tree will be pruned in a supporting role so it does not detract from the overall them of the garden.
Newly planted tree assesment
Check and correct for issues that were not corrected at time of planting for new nursery trees. Perform irrigation audit to ensure tree is receiving adequate water at the root zone and not at the root crown.
Haul away service
If the pruned material won’t fit into a standard green bin a haul away service is provided. The excess pruned material will be hauled away to a local green waste site for processing.