Natural Concept Pruning

When Todd Irvine spoke ar our monthly Master Gardener meeting October '26, I wanted to learn more, so I booked him to give me a lesson in my own backyard. 

• Understand how trees and shrubs grow.
• Choose the right tree/shrub for conditions
• Know why you are pruning
• Prune for good structure and health
• Use proper pruning cuts

It helps to have a basic understanding of how trees and shrubs grow. Their trunks pull up nutrients from the soil, and the leaves serve to photosynthesize and provide transpiration. Trees will naturally prune themselves back to where they are shaded, as those areas that don't get sunlight die back. If you prune the branch of too many of its leaves, the branch will not be able to feed itself properly and will die.

When Todd arrived, Rob and I were pulling our ficus onto the deck for its summer vacation, so began the lesson there.

What is it you want to accomplish? Shape it, make it smaller, prune for health? Yes to all of the above. The ficus needed some serious trimming. By examining the new growth we could see this specimen had already grown 4"- 6" since the start of spring. At about 7 years old, it was a bit too mature for pruning that would influence early growth habit; in fact like many ficus sold the trunk had been braided, and we could see how it had fused together. There were lots of inner branches crossing and Todd advised not to get too fussed about it, as a more mature tree, it was a little too late to address its basic structure.

 

Always prune to growing points, or nodes. There are two types of cuts

• Removal (whole branch), smaller branch to bigger
• Reduction (reducing length by nodes), bigger branch to smaller

Start minimally! Once you've cut that branch off, it's not going to grow back. Lots of small cuts are easier for the plant to handle.

Look at the growth increments. Usually the inner branches do not grow as rapidly, they aren't getting as much sun. We certainly saw that on the ficus! So, 'thin' by thoughtful reduction on outer growth vs. removing the inside centre.

Generally you want your pruning to go unnoticed.

There are lots of oversimplified recommendations, such as 'no rubbing branches', or 'no crossing branches' but they don't always apply. 

For example, the 'no topping' rule. Rob and I already ignored that advice on our dwarf white pine, when it was getting too high for the sight line. Now it is a matter of trying to keep some space between the white pine and balsam next to it. Minimal cuts on the balsam did the trick.

I had left my daphne alone until Todd's visit. I thought it was scorched, but on closer inspection, we saw branches had been broken by the weight of winter snow, so removed them. But we left the centre of it alone, hoping it will naturally fill in with new growth over the season. We then crawled underneath the weeping Japanese maple in the front and trimmed out the dead branches underneath. Since parts of the juniper and maple were infringing on the driveway, we removed them.  A branch on the Japanese maple in the back was bending in on itself, it didn't need any cutting as it was young enough to manipulate it to grow free.

Very useful tips. I especially like the advice to avoid over-generalizations. If I followed the 'right' method, I would lose the beautiful seedpods that overwinter on the tree peony - instead I cut them off just as the buds begin to form in spring. The peony doesn't seem to suffer for it! Ditto the hydrangea.

Todd took a moment to show us how to sharpen the blades on our tools by staying flat to the edge. I'll be ordering a sharpening stone and may even treat myself to a pair of #8 Felco Pruners.

Now, after Todd's visit I am less intimidated by the prospect of pruning. It's a real art, one you learn by doing. Now I can practice more confidently.

Peony Power

This year the peonies started poking through buds May 26 and by June 4 the petals were on the ground. I had pulled up a chair to admire them on the Thursday and decided to send out an invite to people to come for a garden pop-up on the Saturday. Several people were able to drop by. 

I greeted them in my fancy garden hat and we toasted to enjoy these fleeting moments of beauty.

 

Blue Micromoon - May (31) 2026

"Osmanthus flowers fall alone;

The blooming mountains are calm at night.

The moon ascends, alarming birds,

That chirp in spring on water white."

("Bird-Twittering Creek" (鸟鸣涧) by the famous Tang Dynasty poet Wang Wei)

Rob and I woke up the day before, when the moon was cresting full, to join a Dawn Chorus bird walk with Benni on the grounds of the TBG. At the start of the walk, Benni recited a poem from the 13th century Persian poet Saadi Shirazi:

Late last night, a lone bird moaned at the morning -

I forgot everything - my spirit, my mind

My reasons, my lies...

Nearby, an old friend caught wind of my sighs -

He said - I never would have thought that a little bird could turn you inside-out...

I told him, these things are not for humanity to decide - 

The bird delivers its sermon, and I listen.

As we were gathered, a heron flew overhead. Wandering the paths we saw finches, cardinals, red-wing blackbirds, robins, song sparrows, yellow warblers.... and happily, a red tanager. 

On May 31, 2026, the night sky featured a rare Blue Micromoon. It was the second full moon of the month (following the Flower Moon on May 1), which gives it the "Blue" designation, and it occurred near apogee (its farthest point from Earth), making it the smallest and faintest full moon of 2026. [1, 2, 3]

Start with Om

With spring in the air, I wanted a yoga intensive and saw a five day program from Bellur with Sri Preshant Iyengar. A couple of hours each morning. It had been six years since my last mindbending session with him, so I was familiar with his teaching style.

Before the session, he solicited questions from students to help shape event. Mine had to do with mainly with asana, and how to better understand how much to 'push' an aging body. I wondered if Preshant had any advice. I also wanted more insight into bhramari breathing, Maha Mudra and the Great Seal.

Well, the first morning he explained he would NOT be addressing anything specific to physical conditions or concerns as they could be taken up with teachers. There were about a hundred or so students, and several of us had asked that aging question. He said as we age, we may no longer be able to 'do' certain poses but that does not mean we cannot practice yoga. The reality is some asana will be lost, as even B.K.S. experienced this reality when he continued to do asana into his nineties. There is the physical element, but it is also mind and breath.

We were to explore Body / Mind / Breath over the next five days. Classes were two hours long, and we would sit or lie in asana while listening to Prashant lecture, changing positions whenever we felt stiff or tired.

I showed up each day, but I really did struggle as Preshant can be so esoteric and hard (for me) to follow. He referenced a lot of his previous books, so perhaps others were more familiar with the concepts. Some of his lectures are available on his You Tube channel.

Biggest take-aways for me were experiencing sound as an element of mind/breath/body. Embodiment of sound, effects and affects of sound. Start with om.

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I made notes at the end of classes (see below).

Day One: First class began with an explanation of which questions would not be addressed: mainly, anything specific to physical conditions or concerns could be taken up with teachers. Instead touched on the difference between physical and cultural aspects of yoga, the levels of 'doing' yoga. As we age we may no longer bPosturee able to 'do' certain poses but that does not mean we cannot practice yoga. The reality is some asana will be lost, as even B.K.S. experienced as he continued into his nineties. Prashant invited us to take different asana as he talked, but did not guide the postures in any detail, rather spoke about Posture-gesture, Mind- gesture and Breath-gesture.

Day Two: Requested that we listen to the invocation to the Sage Patanjali rather than chant it, since so many mangle the pronounciation. Also cautioned us not to rush through the 'om' sound, which is meant to be reverberated and resonate. The class explored Speech-gesture, or how mind and breath create union. Explored how even silent speech gestures, or whispered gestures, affect the body in restorative and supine postures. "Vowel sounds, namas of gods and postures, all can have a profound effect.``

Day 3:  MInd-gate, breath-gate, physical gate.... observing one or all three. try using TANPURA app with pranayama. Play with singing the scale against the tone. Length, emphasis, stress, tempo of chosen mantras powerful tools. Usually slower pranayama taught but faster pranayama also.

Day 4:  Opening sutra prologue to bring awareness to how the words and sound are affecting mind and body. Admonishing people to procure his books and go to the You Tube channel. Pranayama exercises (vi-kuri? agripar? kapal-mati) kriyas and many terms I did not understand. But what I was able to experience: tightening abdomen along with pausing the the exhalation, and using vowel sounds on exhalation. Descriptions on how combining pace, sounds, styles for different combinations. Advice to start in supine positions to learn rather than in sitting. You can't 'do' yoga, yoga happens. 

Also said meditation is a brain function so there is no meditation in yoga... this quite surprised me. Banish the term meditation because it is actually anti-yoga. Meditation is higher functioning of the brain/mind, whereas, absorption happens in the heart. 

Leave identity behind as it is limiting - labels like old, youg, woman, man, titles.... those zones are blocks to core consciousness. Objectify the mind. Yoga is technology. 

This worked: om silently said on the exhale and blooming on inhale. Awareness of the heart. There is no 'i' to say i mediatated.

DAY 5 - I-wear must be left behind in yoga.

Meditation has become relaxation, a temporary solution. Meditation has nothing to do with yoga. Pranayma on the other hand transforms to becoming.

Then an odd rant about shoes being the reason for cardiac problems... wearing for so many hours a day.

Change poses held for a long time for body, not for mind

Play with the breath. Oscillation with musical rhythm.

Scribbling with the breath, drawing playfully with it on different parts of the body

Flower Moon - May (1) 2026

What better way to celebrate the flower moon than to view the cherry trees blossoming in High Park? Afterward Rob and I went for ramen at Musoshin to pretend we were back in Kyoto.