Pruning is a horticultural art form. While we prune plants for a host of reasons, not the least of which are trimming, removing dead growth, shaping, cutting for transplanting or the collection of flowers, one need only to look at the practice of bonsai, the method of miniaturizing any tree, and it's clear how artful it can be. In other words, pruning is not simply the indiscriminate removal of branches, but the appropriate removal of the appropriate branches in an appropriate manner, with the appropriate tool, minimizing the potential damage to a plant.
