This lecture series, offered twice annually in partnership with PlantAmnesty, is designed for those who work in landscape maintenance. Each lecture provides information on tools and techniques for quality pruning with better long-term results and customer satisfaction. This series will run in-person in the summer of 2026 and virtually via Zoom in the winter of 2027.
Professional continuing education credits pending: APLD-2, CPH-2, ecoPRO-2, ISA-2, NALP/WALP-2, LACES-2 for each 2-hour lecture.
To receive PlantAmnesty’s Pruning Certification, students must attend all 12 lectures and 3 pruning workshops. Registration through UW Botanic Gardens ONLY includes the 12 lectures. The workshops are scheduled and managed through PlantAmnesty, and are paid for separately. If you are interested in learning more about these workshops, check out our Master Pruner Certificate FAQ page or sign up for the PlantAmnesty mailing list.
Register (full series) Register (individual classes)
Cost:
| Each 2-hour lecture: | General: $75 | PlantAmnesty Member: $35 |
| Full Series Discount- Register for all 12 lectures: | General: $410 (purchase includes a 1-year PlantAmnesty membership) | PlantAmnesty Member: $350 |
PlantAmnesty membership information
Financial aid slots available. Slots are limited and offered on a first-come, first serve basis.
Summer 2026 Schedule
This series will be held IN PERSON at the Center for Urban Horticulture. Classes will be held weekly on Mondays from July 13th-August 17th. Classes run 9:30-11:30am and 12:30-2:30pm.
Monday, July 13th
9:30-11:30am – Tree Pruning I – How Trees Grow and Respond: Learn about the science and biology behind successful tree pruning. Understand the structures, functions, and natural defenses of trees and how those affect plant responses to pruning. Taught by Ellie Bender.
12:30-2:30pm – Shrub Pruning I – the Friendly, Fearless and Forgiving: This class covers basic cuts, basic plant habits and what Cass Turnbull called the “pruning budget”. It also covers five plants that are relatively easy to prune: nandina, evergreen azalea, lilac, camellia, and yew. Taught by Christina Pfeiffer.
Monday, July 20th
9:30-11:30am – Tree Pruning II – How, When, & What to Prune: Learn about ANSI standards and best management practices. The four basic pruning cuts and their uses will be discussed in detail. Timing and pruning budgets will also be covered. Taught by Ellie Bender.
12:30-2:30pm – Shrub Pruning II – Shearables, Hackables, and Untouchables: There are some plants that are cut to the ground each year, but there are others you barely touch and it’s pandemonium! Find out which ones are which, as well as which plants are appropriately sheared every year. Taught by Kristin Jackson.
Monday, July 27th
9:30am-11:30am – Tree Pruning III – Specialized Pruning Strategies: Learn how to prune trees for various purposes. Included will be guidance on training young trees and maintaining mature trees, along with discussions of specialized tree pruning techniques. Taught by Ben Mark.
12:30-2:30pm – Japanese Garden Pruning: Creating and maintaining a Japanese Garden requires a high level of pruning skill and dedicated annual maintenance. This class covers the pruning of Japanese maples (upright and weeping), bamboo, cloud pruning pines, and shearing masses of lower story plants. Taught by Bess Bronstein.
Monday, August 3rd
9:30-11:30am – Shrub Pruning III – The Puzzlers and Consequences: Learn how to prune Rhododendron, Hydrangea, Callicarpa (Beautyberry), Viburnum bodnantense, and Abelia. Included in this class are basic pruning techniques, common pruning mistakes, and some corrective pruning. Taught by Ellie Bender.
12:30-2:30pm – Corrective Pruning (also known as Rehabilitative Pruning): Learn restoration strategies for trees and shrubs that have been mal-pruned. Mal-pruning may include topping, over-thinning, inappropriate shearing, and more. Included is discussion of watersprouts, suckers, radical renovation techniques, and crown restoration. Taught by Christina Pfeiffer.
Monday, August 10th
9:30-11:30am – Renovate & Prune the Overgrown Landscape: This is one of PlantAmnesty’s most popular classes and offers an introduction to pruning and other approaches for landscape renovation. Learn how to undo overplanting errors, when and how to transplant, and how to clean up a neglected landscape. Taught by Ellie Bender.
12:30-2:30pm – Hedging Your Bets: Pruning Art or Pruning Horror? Instances of mal-pruning and good intentions gone awry are sometimes explained away as “pruning art.” From improperly sheared hedges to ineffective design and training, this class will contrast examples of mal-pruning with bona-fide forms of pruning art and show how to use them to best effect. We’ll cover hedges and topiary, espalier, coppicing, pollarding, and pleaching, ending with a humorous note with slides from Cass Turnbull’s “The Good, The Bad, and the Bizarre” collection. Taught by Christina Pfeiffer.
Monday, August 17th
9:30-11:30am – Fruit Tree Pruning: Learn the basics of fruit tree pruning and how seasonal growth differences and specific goals affect when you use different pruning approaches. Apple, cherry, plum, and pear pruning will be addressed. Taught by Ingela Wanerstrand.
12:30-2:30pm – Vine Pruning: This class covers pruning and management of some of our most common ornamental vines: wisteria, common varieties of clematis, Boston ivy/Virginia creeper, trumpet vine, and honeysuckle. Taught by Laura Watson.