its almost pruning season. its onerous, and it doesn’t need to be. let’s fix it.
August 2025. By Kirk Aoyagi: On any property, trees are usually the most valuable living landscape asset. Some of us are lucky enough to enjoy canopies planted two or more generations before our arrival. As our maintenance teams evaluate needed prunes, my mind rebuilds LA’s tree canopy in a way that would make sense for our kids’ generation and all the who’s nexts.
enough space to reach its full glory without interference.
In the LA my mind builds, trees get to be happy. A level of happy that matches what they give us. They get to grow to their fullest expression. We prune them according to their needs, not ours. Their roots are cool and free from concrete and stone jails. They get to drink – not so much that they become rotten, just enough to suit their preferences.
and clear off branches that had fallen on his house earlier in the day.
You’re thinking “right man, dream on!” I can hear you from here. That’s okay. I kill dreams that can’t be accomplished on time and on budget. This one I know can be accomplished – and it’s worth it. Here’s why. Every day, we see trees:
- Press on home pipes, foundations, and siding,
- Damage roofs with leaf litter or falling branches, and/or
- Drink from pools and sewage systems.
The trees aren’t happy doing all that. They aren’t getting what they need. It’s not even their fault. Builders and planters created these problems. Now it falls to maintenance practices to fix them and trees to tolerate them.
Common “fixes” we see for poorly planted trees are pretty heartbreaking. Onerous. Ineffective. Dangerous. Homeowners, and property managers throughout LA:
- Prune trees too deeply and/or too frequently in order to protect structures,
- Cut roots, which creates further instability,
- Relocate or regularly rebuild hardscapes like sidewalks and structures,
- Need to clear litter multiple times per week,
- Defer maintenance and face expensive, sometimes disastrous consequences, and/or
- See their trees removed or topped by electrical or insurance companies.
All that. We could have just planted the right trees in the right place with enough space to be happy. Here’s the beautiful thing: We still could. We can start now.
We can create happy, low maintenance canopy to succeed poorly placed and aging trees. Next month, I’ll walk you through how we’ve started that process in gardens throughout LA – likely in one not too different from yours.
