Master Pruner Series and Certification

Each year PlantAmnesty expert instructors teach pruning techniques in our twelve-part Master Pruner Series. Topics include: artistic pruning, fruit trees, landscape renovation, Japanese garden pruning, ornamental vines, pruning roses, and species-specific tutorials. This series provides students with a solid base in the science and practice of selective pruning. Students are given access to a broad range of pruning information at each two-hour presentation. 

For a full description of the program, including class descriptions, schedule and fees, see our Full List of Classes and Workshops.  Classes are open to master gardeners, landscapers, gardeners, horticulture students as well as the general public. Students may complete Master Pruner classes individually or complete the entire series. 

Two Ways to Take Classes

PlantAmnesty holds classes on the second Sundays of each month (except August and December) in the Brig at Magnuson Park (6344 NE 74th Street, Seattle 98115). Preregistration is not required. Just arrive a few minutes early and pay at the door. Cost: $25 per class, $20 for PlantAmnesty members, $5 for horticulture college students and native Spanish speakers. Join PlantAmnesty at any Magnuson Park pruning class and you will receive the following new member benefits: your first class free, an informational two-hour pruning DVD and a discount on future classes! The Master Pruner series is available two ways:

  1. The ProHort Program of the University of Washington Botanic Garden’s Center for Urban Horticulture offers the the Master Pruner Series on weekdays each winter. Preregistration is required.  Click here for details.  For a printable flyer, click here.

To receive a Master Pruner Certificate of Graduation, students are required to attend all twelve lectures (at either location) and three workshops provided by PlantAmnesty. A graduation ceremony is held each fall. Seminars attended at either location count towards the Master Pruner certificate, but the programs are administered and priced separately by the host organizations. 

Workshops

Workshops are designed for home gardeners, landscape professionals, and students enrolled in the Master Pruner Series.  Complete details and materials are sent to students a few weeks prior to each workshop.  Do you know a yard that needs an Extreme Makeover? We are on the look-out for renovation workshop sites. 

Click here for 2018 site requirements.

altSpring 2017 Renovation Workshop

Upcoming Classes and Workshops   

 

 

UW Master Pruner Series for Professionals


 

This lecture series is designed for those who work in landscape maintenance.

There are 2 classes each day with classes lasting 2 hours Wednesdays, running from July 11 - August 22nd.

Click here to see the UW Master Pruner Series Professionals Flyer

Register Here 

Cost is $33 per class, $28 for PlantAmnesty members. You can also register for the entire series for $336 (saving $5 per class) or  $276 for PlantAmnesty members.

August 22, 2018
9:30 a.m.  The Shearables, Hackables and Untouchables
                  Find out which plants are which, and how to correctly shear.
12:30 p.m. Rehabilitative Pruning
                  This advanced class will discuss how to restore mal-pruned trees and shrubs

How to Renovate and Prune the Overgrown Garden CLASS

When:    Sunday, September 9, 2018 -- 10am - noon
Where:   Sand Point Magnuson Park; 6344 NE 74th St (The Brig)
Fee:        $25/class; $20 for PlantAmnesty members; $5 for
                horticulture students and native Spanish speakers

PlantAmnesty’s most popular class, an introductory class on pruning and landscape renovation.

Taught by Keith Dekker

 

     Fall Renovation WORKSHOP


     When: Saturday September 15, 2018  10 am - 3 pm
     Where: TBD
     Fee: $85 for members; $95 for non members
     Pre-registration is required
     Call 206-783-9813    SOLD OUT!! SOLD OUT!! SOLD OUT!!  

We are looking for a site for this workshop.  Click here for Site Requirements.

Renovation Workshops are a popular hands-on all-day event that features a rare 5:1 student-teacher ratio and real-world experience. Students will learn pruning and creative solutions for the overgrown garden      through hands-on experience as an entire yard is renovated during the class. Topics discussed include pruning, transplanting, and landscape maintenance.  The group will move through an overgrown landscape while instructors give on-the-spot evaluations of plants and demonstrations of pruning. Workshop participants will then cycle between jobs to learn what the landscape has to offer.  These workshops typically take place at a private residence within King County selected for its neglected state and diverse plant material.  All participants receive a pruning DVD and handouts on various pruning topics.

 

    Fall Renovation WORKSHOP In Spanish


     When: Friday, October 5, 2018  8:30am – 3:30pm
     Fee: $50 for members; $60 for non-members
     Pre-registration is required.
     Call 206-783-9813 


This class and hands-on field day is designed for Spanish-speaking landscape professionals. George Ortiz, CLT, will give the morning
 lecture.  In the afternoon everyone will assemble at a landscape for hands-on practice on common landscape trees and shrubs.
Participants will work in small groups with experienced teachers.  A PlantAmnesty certification of completion will be given.

 

 Tree Pruning 2 CLASS

 When:    Sunday, October 14, 2018 -- 10am - noon
 Where:   Sand Point Magnuson Park; 6344 NE 74th St (The Brig)
 Fee:        $25/class; $20 for PlantAmnesty members; $5 for
                horticulture students and native Spanish speakers

This is the HOW-TO class for pruning trees (not fruit or nut trees). How to prune a tree limb, how to find the branch collar, pruning of young and mature trees, pruning standards, crown restoration, and the basics of tree risk assessment will be covered.

Taught by Bess Bronstein

  The Shearables, Hackables, and Untouchables CLASS

  When:    Sunday, November 11, 2018 -- 10am - noon
  Where:   Sand Point Magnuson Park; 6344 NE 74th St (The Brig)
  Fee:        $25/class; $20 for PlantAmnesty members; $5 for
                horticulture students and native Spanish speakers

 Some plants are cut to the ground each year. But barely touch others,
 and all hell breaks loose. Find out which ones are which, as well as
 which plants are appropriately sheared every year. Learn how to prune
 butterfly bush, lavatera, heather, lavender, rockrose, broom, witch
 hazel, and others.


Taught by Anna Moore