Thinning Without Clipping

Sometimes we want to open up a woody plant a little bit but maybe there are not a lot of good options for making removal (thinning) cuts or maybe a removal cut would just take away too much foliage. Maybe the tree is young and there are not a lot of branches to choose from or maybe it is older and you don’t want to loose any branches. It could be you are still trying to decide how to develop the tree or it is looking good but feels a little crowded on the sun side of the tree.

What’s a thoughtful pruner to do?

Consider leaf thinning. Leaf thinning is removal of mature leaves where they attach to the branch.  This technique is prolific in Japanese garden pruning but not often talked about in western arboriculture. In Japanese garden pruning it is often done quite extensively, removing all of the leaves on a branch until the very tip. Sometimes leaving only three leaves at the end! Removal of needles on stylized pines also falls under “leaf thinning”.

Personally I just can’t bring myself to remove a lot of leaves and I like my trees to have a little mystery and be fuller. But I will occasionally remove them at the intersection of branches to create more space and accentuate the branch structure, or in an “every other’ pattern where I will thin leaves alternating sides of the branch. I avoid taking all the leaves from one side of the branch creating an artificial look or opening up a branch too much exposing the branch or trunk to sun scald. Especially on the top of weeping trees.

I find leaf thinning very helpful on plants such as camellias or hinoki where it is common to find leaves growing at the junction of branches. Or on rhododendrons where some of the older leaves droop or start to turn yellow but are still hanging on. Sometime I will leaf thin on different cultivars of Japanese maples that have really dense foliage such as A. palmatum ‘Mikawa yatsubusa’ or produce leaves close to branch intersections. Even maples like Coral Bark or other cultivars can benefit from leaf thinning near branch junctions or along the bottom a horizontal branch to accentuate the line of that branch.

Leaf thinning can be done by simply snapping a mature leaf off at the point of attachment with your fingers of for delicate locations or more stubborn leaves, clipping the stem close to their attachment. If you find snapping the leaf off is also pulling off a little bit of bark then its best to clip. Or if you have wimpy fingers like mine, carefully using scissor type clippers works great.

Leaf thinning is a technique that can add detail your trees or simply spend some time observing your plants closely and looking for opportunities to showcase graceful branching or foliage pads.

On my mind

YouTube Video

I posted a short video to Youtube with examples of leaf thinning that I have adapted to suit my style. For more in depth technique sign up for the APA Zoom presented by Bill Castellon. (see below)

more YouTube

@JapaneseGardenTV just posted the most serene progress video of a new garden being built in a residential neighborhood in Japan. Take the time to watch the whole thing. There is even some leaf thinning:)

Going ons

Aesthetic Pruners Association Tree Talk - on Zoom

Leaf Thinning Techniques from the Japanese Garden Tradition

Bill Castellon will be presenting about Japanese leaf thinning techniques for trees and shrubs. June 7th, 2026 3:00-5:00pm. Register here.

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