An ordinary shrub becomes a garden star

This is how an Arbutus unedo pruned as a “cloud” last summer is slowing developing into an attractive focal point.

This type of pruning uses a Japanese pruning technique. It is actually quite easy and great fun to re-shape a mature shrub (or a small tree). The most difficult aspect of this work is to find a client with enough vision and patience to let you undertake it. I expect the “clouds” to have doubled in size in 3 years time.

The more I maintain gardens the more i find that we could do with a bit more madness. It’s all very well to try new cultivars but it rarely adds any structure to a garden. So let’s launch “The Great British Shape Off!

Cloud shaping of the Arbutus, 15 months later