Winter Silhouette

As a child of Montana, I grew up with plenty of winter experiences, but I had not heard of Winter Silhouette until I moved to Oakland California in my 20’s. I believe it hails from the world of Bonsai but my aesthetic pruning teachers also used it for trees in the landscape.

Living in a Mediterranean climate felt like eternal spring since most of the plants there are broadleaf evergreens. Of course there are seasons (and deciduous trees) but as someone who experienced seasons that spoke loud and fast, I had to learn to pay closer attention to the flora of Oakland to really appreciate the seasons there. Lucky for me, this is how I stumbled across aesthetic pruning in the first place.

Many of my California gardens only had a handful of deciduous trees at most and because of this their winter silhouette took on greater significance as an indicator of the season. Often winter was their time to shine. Now that I live in Portland Oregon, the winter silhouette dominates the skyline and provides drama against our gray skies. The branches glow with moss and lichen adding color and texture to the rainy days.

Winter silhouette is where the aesthetic pruning term Coarse to Fine (a plants natural taper) is really useful. Reduction cuts that preserve a tree’s natural taper allows us to appreciate the winter silhouette without requiring our brain to pause and figure out why something looks off. Its not that we can’t do it, but solving the puzzle interrupts any peaceful appreciation of the graceful line of the branches.

Coarse to fine begins where the trunk emerges from the earth and flows up through the tree to the fine tips of the branches. The tree has physiological reasons for this taper but I love the visual lines, patterns and spaces these branches create. A beautiful trunk grounds me to the earth and the fine tips connect me to the sky. Many people look to foliage and bark to identify the essence of a tree but a good winter silhouette can be just as important.

I have continued this issue on my blog so I can show some photos and rant a little about about destroying coarse to fine branches by over using heading cuts. Click here to find it.

I hope you find some time to enjoy the winter silhouettes before we are in thrall to the spring buds!

Maryann

Winter silhouette recommendations

Bonsai Tonight by Jonas Dupuich 

Jonas Dupuich has a post about a bonsai show dedicated exclusively to winter silhouettes.

Photographer Neil Burnell

I found Neil Burnell on instagram. His photos  of trees are simply amazing and inspire me every time I see one. 

Going ons

Zoom class

On March 6, 2025 I will be teaching a class for the Gresham Japanese Garden about learning how to apply the aesthetic pruning approach to trees and shrubs in your garden. Including how to assess your tree, identify the role it will play in your garden and develop a pruning plant to achieve your goals. It is on Zoom and a recording will be available for two weeks after the class.  Register with the Gresham Japanese Garden.

Conference

Save the date for the North America Japanese Garden Association 7th International Japanese Garden conference  October 15-18, 2025 in St. Louis, MO. It will be hosted by the Missouri Botanic Garden. I have been to each conference since the first at the Denver Botanic garden in 2012. Each one has been full of unique presentations, beautiful gardens, and amazing people who are generous with their knowledge and enthusiasm.

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