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American Horticultural Society Pruning & Training
Whether you are planning a new garden, wondering how to bring back a neglected tree or shrub, or want to develop areas of special interest, AHS Pruning & Training contains all the techniques you need in easy-to-follow, step by step explanations.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 1996
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422 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
May 19, 2018
I picked this book at Kew Gardens (London). This is indeed a bible on “Pruning & Training”, published by the Royal Horticultural Society, which thoroughly covers everything an amateur gardener needs to know on the topic. It is divided into sections for each type of plant: ornamental trees (including conifers, palms and succulents) and shrubs, fruit trees and fruit shrubs (including bamboos, grasses, berries), climbing plants and roses. All the basic principles are explained, from initial training to creating hedges, topiaries, espaliers and pergolas, to improving the yield of fruit trees, to renovating, coppicing and pollarding old trees. The book also includes a dictionary of some 800 species of plants (!), each entry describing the plant structure and habits and the ways in which it should be trained and pruned.
Cicero once said that “if you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.” Well, you also need to carry this book from one place to the other.
Cicero once said that “if you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.” Well, you also need to carry this book from one place to the other.
December 13, 2015
After years of consulting this book every pruning season, I finally remembered to add it. I love that it gives information on styles of pruning and the results of different kinds of cuts. Every single plant has its own pruning guide, and there is a separate section for different kinds of fruit. This book is responsible for me having so many berries, they go to the birds before I can pick them all. I put in fruit trees last year, and it has helpful guides for year 1, 2, 3 and ongoing fruit tree renovation. And espalier forms. If you want to whack at bushes, trees, and vines, but ask yourself if this is the right month or if you might get the opposite effect of what you're hoping for, this is the book to have.
June 3, 2020
I loved this book, Christopher Brickell has singlehandedly saved my Rosa Fedtschenkoana. He goes into simple, straightforward and reasonable methods for pruning roses, shrubs and trees, there are explanatory photos that show one exactly where to cut and why. Don't waste your time with anything else.
February 4, 2019
Erg informatief en interessant voor zowel de beginnende als gevorderde snoeier met veel voorbeelden en mogelijkheden
June 30, 2015
What fantastic ideas are presented in this book!! Training plants is not a totally new concept for me as one who loves to garden, but these authors illustrate some truly unique and fun projects involving training two different kinds of plants on the same trellis. One of which I plan to try, but I am going to use two clematis plants on a vertical feature in the shape of a pyramid. Wish me luck! This book gives excellent directions to assist even a beginner gardener. Thanx to this book my raspberries will finally have their 'correct ' home. Thus I am looking forward to raspberries this summer as well as trained climbers.
March 7, 2011
I know, strange that I am adding this to my list. But, it IS a book. And I HAVE read it from cover to cover. And it is a VERY good resource for - well - pruning and training. I actually love leafing through the pages - it is very informative. And it has great pictures. :)
May 28, 2025
I'm afraid this is a book from the days when there was so much money in books, DK could barely keep up with itself. It's pretty, sure. But to my eye, useless. The dictionary of trees doesn't have photos for every tree, so nix that. And the information is so sweeping and 101, it's hard to imagine anyone actually using the diagrams to do any sort of pruning. Sure, you can flip through and imagine yourself with clippers, but you do that for about 5 minutes then just feel fatigued. You're never gonna espalier anything. Much as you'd like to. Or not guided by the one page in here. Truth is, this book is annoying. You know why? It's just decoration. A waste of paper and probably buckets of money. Makes me crave tiny tomes: Peonies After They Bloom: What to Do.
October 12, 2018
Text and guidance, five stars.
Illustrations, five stars.
Photography, two stars.
Editing, mostly because of the photos, three stars. Example: where a rose is being pruned and the text states the pruning cut to be at an angle to allow water runoff, the photo of stem and secateurs has been rotated prior to cropping, to look attractive against the illustration, in doing so the cut is now completely horizontal and the outward facing bud is now facing downward and would not grow.
Some of the pics were fine in terms of quality and reproduction, but many were poorly sized, poorly focussed, overexposed to the point of uselessness or suffered from the paper stock used.
Illustrations, five stars.
Photography, two stars.
Editing, mostly because of the photos, three stars. Example: where a rose is being pruned and the text states the pruning cut to be at an angle to allow water runoff, the photo of stem and secateurs has been rotated prior to cropping, to look attractive against the illustration, in doing so the cut is now completely horizontal and the outward facing bud is now facing downward and would not grow.
Some of the pics were fine in terms of quality and reproduction, but many were poorly sized, poorly focussed, overexposed to the point of uselessness or suffered from the paper stock used.
April 11, 2025
Excellent reference material with plenty of high quality photos. This book was given as a birthday gift from a dear friend who is also an avid gardener. I have already used the book on-site at several jobs. It not only helps me ensure I am following best practices, but it also helps me explain the methods of my gardening madness to my clients.
December 18, 2020
Excellent how-to book that I need to own. Read various sections, not full book (due now at library), but what I read was very easy to understand and follow. Great information on a variety of plants and how to prune/train and maintain.
Read
October 2, 2019kk
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 13, 2021
I can't imagine a more comprehensive book on this subject. It covers soooooo many plants with difficult instructions for each!
August 7, 2021
Like so many RHS books, this one is my ultimate go-to bible for pruning work in the garden.
February 18, 2023
Весна наближається, а це значить, що час читати про те, як обрізати дерева.
Це чудова книга з фотографіями, ілюстраціями та подробними поясненнями.
Це чудова книга з фотографіями, ілюстраціями та подробними поясненнями.
July 2, 2023
Meticulous and thorough. A life-safer for me.
July 17, 2020
Really excellent resource for fruit tree management!
April 12, 2024
Drawing and modeling allow the designer to manipulate their gardens along X, Y, and Z axises. Pruning and training allow the horticulturist to manipulate and guide the space through that 4th, most ephemeral dimension, time. Joyce and Brickell do not explicitly treat this encyclopedic manual as a guide to garden design, but design insights permeate the text nonetheless. Extensive knowledge of pruning and training techniques enable the designer to schedule plants that would otherwise be either too large or tender, create architectural interest, and make the most of individual plant qualities. Let us look at three case studies: that of the apple espalier, the pergola as a support for a climbing rose, and various techniques to influence specific flowering or foliage effects.
The espalier unlocks highly productive fruiting normally restricted to farms and orchards for the smaller garden. Careful training and permanent supports transform an apple, usually a large, free-standing tree, into a short central trunk four feet or so tall with three or more permanent horizontal tiers. Branches growing horizontally bear more flowering buds than other angles, increased sunlight ripens fruit faster, and the small stature makes harvesting a breeze. Both apples and pears respond well to formal training as an espalier. Other tree fruits which do not fruit on spur structures, such as Prunus species, are better suited to fan training along a wall. Wall training either a fan or an espalier confers additional benefits, as the wall will create a warm microclimate, allowing designers to schedule a tasty fruiting plant that would not otherwise be hardy or ripen to culinary standards in their zone.
When designing a pergola or other support for climbing plants, a designer must be familiar with the attachment method of their chosen climber and outfit their structure accordingly. It will be difficult, even dangerous, to attempt to add additional supports to structure that has been overtaken by tangled, possibly thorny growth. Roses are not true climbers, lacking a useful twining habit, tendril, or sucker (though, rose thorns themselves do provide some weak measure of support when their arching or scandent canes catch upon a structure). Pergola uprights must, therefore, be fitted with wires or narrow trellises to tie in canes. If larger woody perennial vines are used, such as a Wisteria or Campsis species, designers must also consider the weight bearing capacity of their structure, as these plants may grow to considerable weights.
Good knowledge of the plant at hand will enable the designer to create unique flowering and foliage combinations through pruning. An early prune may delay bloom for a few weeks, causing two plants that would otherwise bloom in succession to open simultaneously. Coppicing many plants back to the ground spurs fresh growth with larger, more decorative leaves and brightly colored stems, though flowering will be eliminated for the season.
Far beyond merely enhancing blooms and correcting form, pruning and training techniques expand the both the designer’s palette and toolbox, bringing new sizes, shapes, and effects to already familiar plants.
The espalier unlocks highly productive fruiting normally restricted to farms and orchards for the smaller garden. Careful training and permanent supports transform an apple, usually a large, free-standing tree, into a short central trunk four feet or so tall with three or more permanent horizontal tiers. Branches growing horizontally bear more flowering buds than other angles, increased sunlight ripens fruit faster, and the small stature makes harvesting a breeze. Both apples and pears respond well to formal training as an espalier. Other tree fruits which do not fruit on spur structures, such as Prunus species, are better suited to fan training along a wall. Wall training either a fan or an espalier confers additional benefits, as the wall will create a warm microclimate, allowing designers to schedule a tasty fruiting plant that would not otherwise be hardy or ripen to culinary standards in their zone.
When designing a pergola or other support for climbing plants, a designer must be familiar with the attachment method of their chosen climber and outfit their structure accordingly. It will be difficult, even dangerous, to attempt to add additional supports to structure that has been overtaken by tangled, possibly thorny growth. Roses are not true climbers, lacking a useful twining habit, tendril, or sucker (though, rose thorns themselves do provide some weak measure of support when their arching or scandent canes catch upon a structure). Pergola uprights must, therefore, be fitted with wires or narrow trellises to tie in canes. If larger woody perennial vines are used, such as a Wisteria or Campsis species, designers must also consider the weight bearing capacity of their structure, as these plants may grow to considerable weights.
Good knowledge of the plant at hand will enable the designer to create unique flowering and foliage combinations through pruning. An early prune may delay bloom for a few weeks, causing two plants that would otherwise bloom in succession to open simultaneously. Coppicing many plants back to the ground spurs fresh growth with larger, more decorative leaves and brightly colored stems, though flowering will be eliminated for the season.
Far beyond merely enhancing blooms and correcting form, pruning and training techniques expand the both the designer’s palette and toolbox, bringing new sizes, shapes, and effects to already familiar plants.
October 13, 2013
Best bar none ; reference on pruning and training shrubs and trees. It includes great photos, various types of pruning, eg., Espalier, Coppicing, renovation pruning, fruit trees, roses, etc.
I am a professional horticulturist and refer to this book constantly! I use it to double check timing, best way to save a declining or neglected plant.
If one is collecting a good library of gardening books, this and anything by Brickell and David Joyce, grab them up!
I am a professional horticulturist and refer to this book constantly! I use it to double check timing, best way to save a declining or neglected plant.
If one is collecting a good library of gardening books, this and anything by Brickell and David Joyce, grab them up!
March 26, 2012
This is one I used to borrow A LOT from the library. Finally I got a copy last year. I need to be reading it and using it now so I am adding it here. For some reason, the descriptions and step by step pictures just really work for me.
Now, to get pruning!
Now, to get pruning!
October 16, 2007
If I were to buy just one book on pruning, this would be it. It's not perfect, but the pictures are helpful and I like that you can look up individual plants and get specif instructions for them.
August 7, 2012
Great reference manual. Easy to follow directions and plenty of Zone 4 examples.
September 16, 2012
The BIBLE of pruning and training. Part of the curriculum when I went to Horticulture school in 2001 and I still refer to it I it's very weathered state all the time!
August 29, 2013
Best general pruning book I've found.
August 12, 2018
Good images, very informative, has lots of plants, easy to search for plants you are looking for!
September 13, 2018
This is a terrific reference for managing the trees and shrubs you have. Its also good to read if you want to know the care involved in plants you are considering purchase of.
June 9, 2010
Good clear instructions with sketches.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews