Customer Reviews

Niwaki: Pruning, Training and Shaping Trees the Japanese Way

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

There is a lot of information out there on bonsai but I have always been more interested in the Japanese garden trees and until this book there has been very little information out there on how to care for and prune Japanese garden trees and shrubs. As far as I know the author even translated/invented the English name for them, "Niwaki" for which there previously was none. The best part of the book though is how the author urges the reader to apply the techniques he presents in the book to his or her own style of gardening transcending the idea of Japanese Gardens in the traditional sense. Get this book and "Get Stuck In".

I have a very nice Japanese maple and a few other ornamentals and have been looking for a book that describes ways to prune to achieve alternative desirable effects. I have some excellent books on pruning of trees and shrubs, but this one is clearly different from the pack, and very good as well. If you are looking for guidance on how to achieve the look and feel of Japanese ornamentals, this book is the one you need.

Very good book for those of us who love our Japanese gardens and want to incoporate Niwaki techniques. Highly recommended book to add to your collection of books on Japanese gardens and their care. There's not another one like it on the market today.

I love that the author is a sculptor and realized that his art could be translated into a living form of trees.

I have been professionally pruning Japanese garden style trees for a long time. This is the first book that really captures what needs to be done and explains how the trees react to pruning. Aesthetic pruning is a mix between science and art. This book shows great detail of the techniques that are hard to teach.

Scott Solomonson
Living Space Landscapes Inc
Minnesota

I love this book! This book gives all the information a hands-on home gardener needs to try this at home. For years, I've visited and admired Japanese gardens such as the wonderful gardens in San Francisco and at the Chicago Botanic gardens. I could not find any information on how it was done, what type of tree is best, when do you start pruning and all the details. The combination of sketches and photos is particularly helpful. I love the photos of trees in Japan in ordinary streets and homes, not just in famous gardens. The photos of the trees in training or wrapped for winter are fascinating - it's like being back stage. It's a great book.

It gives some basic information about shaping which is critical to the process, but I was hoping for a much more in-depth discussion on such matters as tools to use, approach to accomplish the end result, step by step processes of different examples of the same tree and different types of trees, how to approach mature bushes that you want to change to Japanese influenced, etc.

The book gives a good, clear and practical overview how to create japanese "topiary". There are many drawings giving a step-by-step instruction on how to proceed. The picture from the author are a bit flat and many of them have an almost white sky.

Unlike other books (and many useless websites), this book actually details the steps needed to properly select, shape, and maintain plants in a Japanese style garden

A truly delightful book with lots of information which is helpful in setting our a Japanese style garden within the Western culture.

My husband wanted this book because we have started a large oriental garden. It explains turning plants into Japanese artisist sculpture. It enlightens you to whats going on and why. This is a very good "how to" book.