One of the challenges in teaching horticulture is that there are so many bad examples of plant care practices in the landscape. People want to take good care of their yards and gardens, but as they copy what they see around them they may end of doing more harm than good—and not realize it.  This is not restricted to my county, or Kentucky, or the Midwest.   Everywhere I go, I can take pictures of glaring plant mistreatment.   A common example is the mounding of mulch around tree trunks, which we refer to as ‘mulch volcanoes’.  Another common error is incorrect shrub pruning.  Even the landscapers who care for our grounds botch it.  There is great need to communicate correct principles to homeowners and landscapers alike.

This February I taught a shrub-pruning workshop.  It consisted of two parts—Theory and correct practices presented indoors—followed by outdoor demonstration on our grounds.  Participants also had the opportunity to try out the pruning techniques themselves.  The hands-on portion was doubly instructive because our shrubs were a real-life example of what not to do, and how to fix it.

Materials used for the presentation including several Extension pruning publications, examples of specific pruning tools, PowerPoint presentations, and demonstrations of correct cuts (indoors) as well as the outdoor demos that followed.

Thirty-four people attended the workshop. Comments right after the class included, “This is one of the best classes I’ve ever attended”, “Now I know what to do in my yard”, “I am going to show my spouse how to do this”, and so forth.   Surveys indicated they valued the presentation quality of the instructor, and the class materials.   They also appreciated knowing when to prune, what kinds of pruning cuts worked best, which tools to use, and how to prune different kinds of plants.  Participants said they felt more confident going home and taking care of their shrubs and trees and intended to prune them shortly.  One third of respondents said this was their first time going to a UK Extension class, which is also important as Extension strives to broaden its reach.

Because the primary goal of the class was to inspire & promote good plant-care practices, class participants were surveyed during the summer to see how their spring pruning went.  Respondents said they felt more confident about doing their own pruning, and two -thirds said they actually did prune their shrubs after the class.  One hundred percent of participants surveyed said they talked to a friend, relative or neighbor about what they had learned.    Respondents said they re-worked older shrubs in the yard, practiced the difference between heading and thinning, and were able to go in and remove dead, broken or diseased wood—important concepts discussed during the class.  Additional comments included, “I pruned 4 Japanese maples”, “pruned 6 shrubs”, ‘I had…better planning and maintenance of my shrubs and trees”, “Next winter I will look at the shape of my trees and figure out how pruning will improve their appearance and health”.  That is what I had hoped to hear.