| Paul... bonsai techniques work, except that the cycles of bonsai may be influenced by the grower. eg: drought induces autumn = therefore leaning the water back brings leaf abscisson/dormancy. Shade after leaf removal triggers another set of hormones that are useful for growth. Garden is the balancing of all plants together to an objective.
Bonsai is balancing a single tree to itself to an objective. In the ground, pruning at the right time is at least 50% of the solution and getting a bag on those trees may not be quite aesthetic. remember:
Spring pruning directs tree growth. (gives the illusion of strengthening the tree)
Late summer/early fall weakens trees reducing growth. correlation: only remove poplars or weed trees at their weakest time, at near full leaf elongation & color change from bright green to full green. The tree is fully extended at that time and has not had time to manufacture sugars. (which goes back to understanding color changes or leaving indicators such as a few 2 - 4 year pine needles to turn brown to know when the season changed for the tree, not ourselves. And keeping records of when plants show their indicators so we do not need to run after them and we are not blindly following someone elses calendar, climate zone or advice, when 'our' tree may be in a different level of development.)
edzard | 
