PlantAmnesty spring 2017... 206-783-9813 5 PlantAmnesty’s tree topping billboard. I thought, who...

PlantAmnesty was born in the late ‘80s (you know—Madonna, spandex,

break dancing, glasnost, Chernobyl, Jamaican bobsledders, Magic Johnson, leg warmers, cocaine, that new thing called the internet, the AIDS epidemic, Grunge and Goth, Mt. Saint Helens, Disco, and pea-patch dolls).

I was enrolled in one of the self-actualization programs popular at the time. I was there mainly to patch up my relationship with my beau. In a follow-up seminar, the teacher gave us a homework assignment: list all your complaints. That took two days and many sheets of paper. I wrote down everything from world hunger to coat hangers that tangle. I then answered the next assignment: Choose one complaint and write what it would take to fix it. It was a simple mental

exercise. I rather randomly picked I Hate Bad Pruning. Within ten minutes I had brainstormed most of the components of my new effort:

1. the publication of outspoken articles that would call it butchery rather than improper pruning;

2. the need for widespread media coverage to alert huge numbers of the general population to common horticultural atrocities; and

3. the need to provide all kinds of help to people who wanted to do right—

a referral service, how-to classes, literature, free selective pruning to the needy and deserving gardens and trees (the last has never been imple-mented on a large scale).

Why, there’d have to be an organi-zation! The name PlantAmnesty, both irreverent and ironic, made me laugh. It caught people’s attention and made them curious. And it showed that we do not take ourselves too seriously. Years later someone called us a mock militant group, which I thought apt.

PlantAmnesty Volume XXIX • No. 2 www.plantamnesty.org sprINg 2017

Look at What’s InsideRemembering My Friend by Ciscoe Morris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Pig Tails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Celebration of Cass’s Life . . . . . . . 7

The Future of PlantAmnesty . . . . . 8

continues on page 3

The Birth of PlantAmnesty—1987A Reminiscence by Cass Turnbull, Founder and President

2 ©2017 PlantAmnesty

plantAmnestypO Box 15377, seattle, WA 98115-0377

206-783-9813www.plantamnesty.org

Email: [email protected]

— Mission statement —To end the senseless torture and mutilation of trees and shrubs caused by mal-pruning

(and other common forms of plant mismanagement).

Goals:1. Raise awareness of the problem.2. Provide solutions (referral service, education,

volunteer pruning and care) and ensure they are readily accessible to the public and green industry professionals.

3. Engender respect for plants.

We Affirm:• That our organization is inclusive, tolerant, and

based on grassroots collective action.• That our educational materials are clear, current,

and technically accurate.• That we will maintain a sense of humor and

goodwill while being outspoken on the issues.

— staff —General Manager . . . . . . Heidi MairOffice Manager . . . . . . . Margaret Metz

— Officers and Board Members —Acting President . . . . Anna MooreSecretary . . . . . . . Ken TuomiTreasurer . . . . . . . . Jack BautschMarianna Clark, Mike Ewanciw, Ira Ford,

Christina Masters, Laura Watson

— Newsletter Contributors —Editorial Committee Jack Bautsch, Suzan Gallup, Heidi Mair, Margaret Metz, Laura Watson Graphic Design cbgraphics, Constance BollenContributors Jack Bautsch, Suzan Gallop, Heidi Mair, Margaret Metz, Anna Moore, Ciscoe Morris, Cass Turnbull, Laura Watson, and many friends of PlantAmnestyPhotographers Many, Various, AnonymousArtist Kate AllenPrinting & Distribution Color Printing Systems and AAA Mailing Services, Inc.

Please mail us articles, short jokes, artwork, tales, Adopt-A-Plant and Green Share information.

The newsletter is a benefit of membership.

Plant Activist Update

Prune-a-Thon at Sky NurseryPlantAmnesty held the seventh annual Prune-a-Thon at Sky Nursery on Saturday, February 4th. Despite the wintry weather, we had a good turnout with people coming and going throughout the day, attending lectures, getting garden-design advice, visiting informational booths, and having their tools sharpened for free. Some even lingered for the entire event!

A special display, including a slide show, paid tribute to our late founder, Cass Turnbull. We know she would have wanted us to carry for-ward with her mission and vision, including the Prune-a-Thon. Many friends and colleagues expressed their much-appreciated condolences.

Thanks to instructors Bill Wanless, pete putnicki, george Lasch, and Ingela Wanerstrand, to the NE seattle Tool Library, and to all the volunteers who helped make this event a success. A very special thanks goes out to Ciscoe Morris for joining our royal court of garden advisers.

February Meeting of Like MindsThanks again to Lisa steele from Maine for speaking to us about the merits of keeping chickens in the garden as well as the pitfalls. The evening also included a delicious potluck and a successful auction.

One-Day Garden RestorationEight employees of Kaleidoscope, Inc., a local professional landscaping company, attended a PlantAmnesty mini-work-shop at a private home in south Seattle. Three professional and stalwart PlantAmnesty members spent the day teaching them how to restore an overgrown garden. The grateful owners donated $1,000, which when combined with registrations brought nearly $1,500 to PlantAmnesty’s coffers. Thank you Marianna Clark, susie Cook, Denise Anderson, Anna Moore, and Dana Harper for making it happen! s

Getting Free Garden Designs at the Prune-a-Thon

www.plantamnesty.org 206-783-9813 3

I married my beau soon thereafter and wrote my first three essays: Birch Butchery, Poodle-Balling: Sport of Kings, and Cherry Stripping, on board the 30-foot daysailer we borrowed for

our honeymoon. That’s how I remember how long I’ve been married and how old PlantAmnesty is.

PlantAmnesty took off on its own, and I raced to keep up. s

The Birth of PlantAmnesty continued

Soon after I met Cass, I received a call from her. She asked me to give a talk on Japanese pruning at a Plant Amnesty

event. I quickly learned a few things about Cass. First of all, she was extremely persuasive, making it nearly impossible to say no. Not only did she cajole me into doing the talk for free, she also managed to talk me into giving my presentation in a kimono! I was totally embarrassed when I walked out of the dressing room, but then I saw Cass dressed like a geisha, and we both practically fell over laughing. I figured if she could handle the embarrassment, I could as well. I gave my talk in the kimono.

Over the years Cass persuaded me into giving quite a few free talks for Plant-Amnesty. How can anyone resist someone so passionate about their cause! By far the most fun event we did together was PlantAmnesty Tree Hugger Bingo. When she first called me about it ten years ago, she promised it would be a one-time event so I agreed. Then the next year, she swore it was

the last time. After that, every time she called me, she’d swear it was the last one, and we both roared with laughter. I admit that I grew to love doing that event with her, even though every year I had to sit through a big lecture from Cass. She told me that I needed to speed up my wordy descriptions of the plants we gave away as prizes. Although I dutifully obliged, it never did any good as I’d ramble on way too long about every plant, and that became quite a joke between us as well. That’s what I loved about doing anything with Cass. We always ended up laughing.

She was definitely one of my all-time favorite guests on my radio show, and listeners loved her as well.

Cass will be missed by so many. I know she’ll be remembered for revolution-izing tree care and for her passionate efforts to save green space, but I’ll remem-ber her most as a wonderful friend who always made me laugh and who was the only person I ever met who man-aged to talk me into donning a kimono! s

Remembering My Friend Cass TurnbullBy Ciscoe Morris


Beth Bronstein, Edmonds Community College

I knew Cass before she became the infamous Cass Turnbull. We met in our first plant identification class at Edmonds

Community College in September, 1986. The passion and humor I always associate with Cass was ever present, and over the next year we laughed our way through horticulture classes. We even took our first pruning class together at the college in 1987 and then taught our first pruning class together two years later.

Cass was an entertainer who could educate and who never met an audience she didn’t try to enchant. However, she rarely remembered names of students or deadlines, so grading and paperwork were a bit freeform. Cass finally said, “Just let me prune and tell stories and talk about PlantAmnesty; you can do the other stuff.” So I did what she asked and watched hundreds of students get drawn in like flies to the sweetness of trees and pruning and the world according to Cass. Lucky me.

Linelle Russ on one of the first garden renovation workshops, with Ann Lovejoy on Bainbridge Island

C ass had just finished doing the quick pruning lecture before we all broke into teams to work with the stu-

dents. It was a beautiful day, and Ann gathered all of the students and teachers on the lawn to do a little Tai Chi and warm up. Cass watched from the sidelines. As we finished:

Ann: “This will help loosen you up so you can work smart and get good oxygen to the brain.”

Cass: “I pop a couple of ibuprofen and call it good.”We all dissolved in laughter.

Deb Pedersen, Cowgirl and long-time close friend of Cass

C ass was always our good-time party girl, and her arrival meant that the

gathering was about to come alive. Her friends particularly remember her arrival at a campground deep in a valley in the Olympic Mountains … long after dark. Sitting around the fire, we wondered whether Cass would make it. Then we heard the faint sound of her trusty VW bug and saw its lights twinkling as she crept slowly down the steep and narrow forest service road. A cheer went up, and when she pulled in she emerged wearing city clothes, including boots with heels, and bearing a large jug of refreshment.

Laura Watson on working with Cass

I enjoyed working with Cass for many years. She was a delightfully creative person who could come up with really

wild and crazy ideas that turned into fabulous and highly successful events like The Festival of Trees, The Celebrity Gardener Gala and Auction, and Tree-Hugger Bingo. Unfortunately her ideas also involved huge amounts of work for staff and volunteers. I dreaded her calling me at the office and saying, “I’ve been thinking.” I would groan inwardly and reply out loud, “Oh, no!”

I will miss the excitement (though maybe not the work) Cass and her zany ideas could create.

From Elizabeth Jarvis of Indianapolis

I have a fledgling tree care and advocacy program in Indianapolis. I contacted Cass

last year to ask for advice about doing neighborhood outreach. She was very kind and forthright and supportive and encour-aged me to ruffle some feathers if I have to. I had hoped to have her input and advice in the future. I will cherish the videos and books that are available and keep an eye on PlantAmnesty. Such an inspiration! Cass’s influence has reached across the Mississippi and the White River into Indiana!

From Margaret Metz, Office Manager of PlantAmnesty

I first heard about Cass many years ago, when I saw her on the news talking about

More Stories and Reminiscences about Cass

continues on next page

Cass Turnbull was the knowledge, the drive,

the humor, and the magic behind PlantAmnesty. Her spirit will always

be with us.


PlantAmnesty’s tree topping billboard. I thought, who is this crazy woman and you go girl! After I started working with her, I became even more awestruck. She had an amazing abil-ity to draw people to her and to spot talent. She would always grab me by the arm and quiz me on someone she hadn’t met yet. Next thing I knew, her latest catch was volunteering at a PlantAmnesty event. No one ever said no to Cass. She is greatly missed.

Elaine Ike of Seattle Green Spaces Coalition on keeping the Meyers Way Parcel as Green Space…

C alyn Hostetler, Mary Fleck, and I learned [that] the Mayor had agreed to preserve the [Meyers Way] parcels

… at a 6:30 pm meeting, so I stepped outside to call Cass and get her reaction. Like all the rest of us, this was news to her as well! While she wept and rejoiced on the phone, so did I! My fondest memory of Cass is that I had the privilege of bringing her such welcome news about this cornerstone of her activism and accomplishments.

Liz Ellis, long-time friend of Cass’s

As a writer, speaker, teacher, leader, and friend, Cass was so often on the go. I had the joy-filled experience of

joining Cass and John on Maui one winter. That trip Cass was stressing over a book deadline but in between writing and editing, we explored Maui and went to the beach, actually many beaches all around the island. Hawaii soothed and gentled and nourished Cass’s body and soul. We watched fish, talked trees, ate well, and in the evening from the balcony of their condo we watched for whales and blew the conch in gratitude for another day well lived.

I will blow my conch a resounding blast out into the heavens in gratitude and in celebration of Cass Turnbull and as a soulful final good bye to a dear friend and colleague.

From Lisa Steinbrueck, Realtor

C ass and her crew renovated my yard this year. I had an issue with some run-off from the roof, and Cass created

a rain kaleidoscope for the area. Plink, plonk, tink, tonk....thinking of her when it rains. Thank you Cass!

From Ann Linnea, Author

I t was my privilege to devote one chapter of Keepers of the Trees—A Guide to the Re-Greening of North America to

Cass and the work of Plant Amnesty. Hers was one of the most frank, funny interviews I have ever done. She had few pretentions. She was who she was—an absolutely inspira-tional, creative, devoted, tireless worker for Seattle’s trees.

What a great loss for our region! Yet, she had the wisdom to leave a strong organization in place to carry on her legacy. Deep respect!

From Lisa Marahrens

C ass was a force. She inspired, taught, cajoled, informed, advocated, laughed, admonished, led, found her purpose,

and worked tirelessly for all trees and plants in our universe. I last spoke with her when she gave one of her many pruning talks for master gardeners in November and we discovered that we had both gone to college at Western the same fall of 1969. Hers are difficult, probably impossible, boots to fill and her irrepressible spirt will be SO missed by us all.

From Judy R. Shigo Smith

I am still crying ... Cass was wonderful and amazing and her heart was with the trees. Our local tree advocate and legend

will be hugely missed! I am so grateful for the pieces of time we’ve had together, with trees, over the years. I hope she meets the spirit of my Dad, Alex Shigo. s

More Stories and Reminiscences about Cass continued


Most of us did not plan on becoming

gardeners. The urge, or compulsion, sort of crept up on us as we matured; although some of us matured earlier than others. In my case, the joy of gardening was cultivated in me by neighbors and friends during my childhood. I had all the signs: I preferred to be outside, didn’t mind getting filthy dirty, was not creeped out by bugs or slimy things, and exhibited wonder and bafflement at how nature worked. One neighbor taught me to prune lightly, giving a lacy look to the ornamental cherry tree we shared in the rockery. He was self-taught, and I admired that each tool on the pegboard in his garage was cleaned, oiled, sharpened like new, and virtually alphabetized. The neighbor on the other side was a master gar-dener who knew all her rare plants (and our common ones) by Latin name, and who planted with the moon cycle. With these tutors coaching me, and my parents cheering me, I began to turn the family yard into a garden.

When I finally bought a house of my own, it was on a wild lot. There was no inherited rockery, lawn, or 1950’s rhodies or azaleas to maintain. There were only blackberries, salal, holly, laurel, and the stumps and logs of felled pine trees. Little by little, I began to clip the wildness back with my pruners and loppers. When I discovered a volunteer vine maple here and there, I’d let it be and consider landscaping around it.

So when I took my first renovation workshop with Cass, I felt right at home—digging up large shrubs and moving them over there, rehabilitating some huge green shrub (she’d tell

me the Latin name, which I’d promptly forget) by removing the deadwood. Her ability to wade into a green thicket and imme-diately instruct volunteers to remove or reduce the volume was nothing short of a miracle. “Remember to step back and look,” she’d yell from the sidelines.

When I step back and look at Cass in my life, I see a compassionate general, both amused at her willing soldier and aware of the task at hand: to leave me even more knowledgeable

about my relationship to nature than the last time. Rarely would she forget to teach, even outside the classroom when we were busy with committees or events. She’d manage to do it so unobtrusively that I might not realize for weeks that I was wiser. When I’d accuse her of this hidden agenda later, she’d throw her head back, laugh heartily, and look at me a bit coyly. “Me?”

I told her once of my most vivid childhood memory of being in nature. It was of climbing an old apricot tree in a neighbor’s orchard and, wedged into the branches, eating one warm golden fruit after another and spitting the pits as far as I possibly could. She narrowed her eyes at me and admitted to the same experience. It turned out our childhood houses were two doors away from each other, and I had been climb-ing her tree.

The big lot that I’ve chosen to garden humbles me often. My muscles ache and my head hurts when I think of how much I’ve bitten off to chew. But, little by little, there are attractive corners and arching branches from original trees I’ve left unpruned, due to my training by a master. Cass could think big—moving mountains at City Hall for a greenspace in West Seattle. But she could also focus down, even to the sound that a garden makes—creating an amusing rain tympani for one client out of second-hand metal trays placed in the drip line of the roof.

One day, as we walked her cozy and deeply-shaded garden in Ballard, I told her I’d planted some naturalizing cyclamen. “Love those,” she said. “They have pig tails, you know.” When I narrowed my eyes at her, she pulled me over to a patch of cyclamen leaves and, with her finger, winkled out a corkscrewed tail from the darkness. “Love those.” s

Pig TailsBy Suzan Gallup

Signs of SpringThe flowers think spring has arrived. snow drops, crocus, and dwarf iris have already come and gone. Hellebores, forsythia, and more and more bulbs are bursting out.

Cass’s favorite signs of spring included newly emerging bleeding hearts, peonies, and the microscopic flowers on maples, soon followed by camellias and magnolia blossoms.


On Saturday, March 25, over 500 friends, fans, and family of Cass Turnbull joined together to honor Cass and cel-

ebrate her life. Many arrived early, allowing time to greet old friends, sign the event book, and view the display of Cass’s costumes. Most had time to pick up a copy of the beautiful program and wander into the theater to view a slide show highlighting the many and varied aspects of Cass’s life.

The ceremony began with a processional of 12 arbor-ists, in arborist gear, filing in on both sides of the theater and up onto the stage where they all drew out their pruning saws and ceremoniously honored Cass with a 12-saw salute. Keith Dekker, long-time PlantAmnesty member and recent Vice President, gave the opening remarks. He was followed by Jorge Ortiz, who spoke passionately about Cass and the importance of her efforts to train Spanish-speaking landscap-ers in the art of selective pruning.

The Holly-Dazed singers, directed by Adam Burdick, sang Turn, Turn, Turn, inviting the audience to join them on the chorus. Anna Moore, current Vice President and Acting

President, voiced Board plans to maintain PlantAmnesty as a viable organization that will continue Cass’s mission “to end the senseless torture and mutilation of trees and shrubs due to mal-pruning.” Anna was followed by Bess Bronstein, a long-time friend of Cass’s who is also an arborist and an educator. Bess told how she and Cass had studied horticulture at Edmonds Community College together and what a hoot it was hanging out with Cass. They once joined forces to teach a pruning class, but Cass was not fond of the paperwork involved in teaching. She talked Bess into handling all of that so that Cass could do what she does best, charm the students and teach.

Keith came back to the mic and recognized people from various aspects of Cass’s life, including Master Pruners, Master Gardeners, arborists, gardening professionals, TreePAC members, Board members, those who had worked with Cass, and others. Friend and plantsman Dan Hinckley then stepped up to the podium to eulogize Cass. Bess and Cass were actually in the first plant ID class he taught at

Celebration of Cass’s Life

continues on next page

Arborists Honor Cass with 12-Saw Salute.

Standing-Room-Only Crowd at the Celebration of Cass’s Life.


Edmonds. He remembered Cass at the back of the room, always with a sparkle in her eye and laughter all around her. He knew even then she would be a force in the horticultural world. He noted that Cass once brought a crew of gardening professionals up to Heronswood for one of the most produc-tive work days they’ve ever had there! He discussed Cass’s legacy of good pruning and the need for maintaining green space. To honor Cass, he said, we must “teach, share, smile, and laugh.”

John Hushagen talked about the early days of PlantAmnesty prior to leading the Holly-Dazed Singers in Tree Toppers in the Sky. Jane ruberry thanked everyone on behalf of Cass’s and John’s families.

Last, but most definitely not least, came Cass’s friends, the Cowgirls. Many in the audience had no idea that Cass went to Cowgirl Camp for a few days every year with her friends from college. sarah pederson and Barbara Ballard regaled the audience with stories of Cass over the years, especially how she always dressed up and decorated for everything, including the time she turned one room into the movie 2001.

The singers along with the Cowgirls led everyone in singing Happy Trails. The ceremony ended with the blowing of conch shells in Cass’s honor and as a reminder of the many years that Cass and John spent their Januaries in Hawaii.

Just as people began to file out, an early video of Cass teaching a pruning workshop went up onto the screen and stopped everyone in their tracks. They turned back in awe to watch Cass alive and talking again.

Many, many people stayed after to reminisce about Cass and exchange stories. All in all, it was a satisfying and joyful celebration of Cass and her life.

Special heartfelt thanks go out to the Memorial Committee who organized this fabulous event: suzan gallup, Judy Olson, Annette Freeman, and Mary Machala, with assis-tance from Margaret Metz, Heidi Mair, and Laura Watson. Also a huge thank you to sky Nursery for donating lovely plants for volunteers and attendees. Thanks, too, to all the volunteers who helped with the event. And finally, thank you

to Jack Bautsch, John Hushagen, Adam Burdick, and all the Holly-Dazed singers. s

Cass’s loss has deeply affected all who knew her. We here at PlantAmnesty sorely miss her humor and leadership.

Afterall, she was the founder of the organization and kept it vital, fun, informative, and in the news for 30 years.

Will we continue without her? The answer is a resound-ing yes! PlantAmnesty Board and Staff have committed to going forward to honor Cass’s memory and vision and to continue the work of fulfilling PlantAmnesty’s mission “to

end the senseless torture and mutilation of trees and shrubs due to mal-pruning.” In all of this, we will be animated by Cass’s indomitable spirit and abiding sense of humor. But to carry on, we will need your help, too. So please, renew your membership, encourage your friends and colleagues to join, volunteer, take a pruning class, join a PlantAmnesty committee. Donate if you can. We sincerely appreciate your continued support. s

PlantAmnesty’s Future

Celebration of Cass’s Life continued Cass’s Cowgirl Friends.


• Patron Saint of Lost Causes.

• Anything worth doing is worth overdoing.

• Events always benefit from costumes.

• Nothing succeeds like excess.

• You can lead a Horticulture, but you can’t make her think (originally coined by Dorothy Parker).

• Quat Nass (for quite nice).

• On radical renovation pruning: The difference between my pruning and the guy down the street is—what he does is butchery, what I do is radical renovation.

• Deadwooding is like housework, except housework makes me crabby. Deadwooding makes me calm.

• Azaleas are so easy to transplant, they almost have wheels.

• Wander, ponder, and prune.

• On a rhody being too big: The most important thing is learn to love big rhododendrons. Nobody complains that their car is too big, their boat is too big, or their house is too big.

• The Hydra Effect: the more suckers

you remove, the more you get. Cut more

and you get more and more.

• When thinning a tree: Take some,

leave some, take some, leave some.

• When thinning an overgrown mound-

ing-habit shrub: Lift and separate.

• When dealing with a mass of water

sprouts: Step One: thin. Step Two: wait.

Step Three: thin. Step Four: wait. The

hardest part is to wait.

• When pruning a tree or shrub, put down

the pruner, slowly step away, observe.

• Tasteful, tasteful, tasteful! (which

she would say of an attractive natural

native landscape).

• Cass coined the name DigiWranglers

for the Social Media Committee.

• She was a Master of titles: No Place

for Old Trees, Straight Skinny on the

Life of Limbs, Birch Butchery, and

Trimming or Torture.

• Cass imagined a cologne named

Arborist—a combo of the smells of

Doug fir, chainsaw oil, wet wool, and a

hint of sweat.

• First year they sleep, second year they

creep, third year they leap. Common

gardening wisdom that Cass used often.

• She often closed her letters with

Secare selecte, which means prune

selectively in Latin.

• She also liked to add—One ranting

woman is a kook; 1,000 members is a

movement. s

CassismsCass had a humorous saying for nearly everything, some borrowed and some original.

Below is a sampling of memorable Cassisms:

Employees of Google, IBM, Microsoft, and others get any donations they make matched by their employers.

Microsoft even gives matching funds when employees volun-teer for a nonprofit! But now there are two other ways anyone can help—through everyday purchases.

Amazonsmile: Using AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support PlantAmnesty every time you shop at Amazon, at no additional cost to you. Simply go to www.smile.amazon.com, which looks and acts exactly like www.amazon.com, and select PlantAmnesty as the charitable organization you wish to support. From then on, every eligible

purchase you make at AmazonSmile will result in a small donation to PlantAmnesty.

Fred Meyer: Support PlantAmnesty just by shopping at Fred Meyer with your Rewards Card. All you have to do is link your Rewards Card to PlantAmnesty (go to www.fredmeyer.com/communityrewards to choose PlantAmnesty as your charity of choice) and use your Rewards Card when you shop at Fred Meyer. PlantAmnesty will receive a small portion of the purchase price, and you still get all of your other Fred Meyer Rewards. s

Two Painless Ways to Support PlantAmnesty

According to Cass: Writing The Guide to

Pruning consumed many sunny summer

days, and I look forward to getting back

into the field and back in touch with

the source. While climbing in a tall tree

induces a spiritual high (actually, it’s an

adrenaline high), working the soil heals

the soul. More time struggling with

weeds and less time sitting in traffic is

the secret to a happy life. I’m sure any

gardener can tell you that.


Sunday, April 9, 10am —12noon Master Pruner Class: Easy Plants to Prune(See class list on page 13)

Saturday, April 15 Master Pruner Renovation Workshop—SOLD OUT(Hands-on pruning. See details on page 12)

Tuesday, April 18, 7pm — 9pm Meeting of Like Minds (MOLM)The Tree Programs Committee will host this meeting. The speaker for the evening will be Mary Machala, who will give us the nitty gritty about soils. These meetings are potlucks, although please come even if you don’t bring food. The meetings are free and open to all.

Besides the potluck and informa-tive speaker, the evening will feature announcements about PlantAmnesty’s upcoming activities and the ever-popular auction of horticultural-related items. Proceeds from the auction help defray the costs of renting the venue. Join us at the NHS Hall at the Center for Urban Horticulture, 3501 NE 41st Street in NE Seattle (Laurelhurst Neighborhood).

Monday, April 24, All Day Arbor Day Free PruneThe arborists on the plantAmnesty referral service will generously donate their professional services to prune trees at the Arboretum at South Seattle Community College.

Wednesday, May 10, All Day GiveBIGKeep the emerald in the Emerald City by donating to PlantAmnesty through

GiveBIG. This annual fund-raising campaign helps keep PlantAmnesty in the black so we can do more for trees and shrubs. True to PlantAmnesty’s long-standing goals, we offer programs and services that (1) raise awareness of the problem of mal-pruning, (2) provide accessible solutions to the problem, and (3) engender respect for plants. In all of this, we will be guided by Cass’s indomitable spirit. We appreciate your continued support for this important work. Watch PlantAmnesty’s website (www.plantamnesty.org) and our Facebook page (www.Facebook.com/plantamnesty) for updates.

Saturday, May 13, 6pm — 8pm Greenlake Conifer WalkJoin Van Bobbitt, retired landscape hor-ticulture instructor from South Seattle College, to discover the secrets of the various species of conifers that grow around Green Lake. Spend a few pleas-

ant evening hours walking and learning with Van, and you will see why he is so beloved and respected by students and colleagues alike. Registration is required; cost is $20. Space is limited, so register soon by contacting us at [email protected] or 206-738-1983. Once you register, you will be sent details about where the group will convene. Van will spend time afterward in informal conversation with anyone so inclined.

Sunday, May 14 Master Pruner Class: Difficult Plants to Prune(See class list on page 13)

Tuesday, May 23, 9am — 4pm Ninth Annual Urban Forest Symposium: Mobilizing VolunteersThe Ninth Annual Urban Forest Symposium will explore the intersec-tion of social justice and urban forestry.

Attendees will hear from arborists and members of environmental stewardship organizations working to engage and serve diverse audiences. Urban forestry professionals and community organization leaders will discuss strategies to increase opportunities for communi-ties of color and low-income communities to receive the benefits of urban forestry. Come to ask questions, to hear how equity work looks and feels, and to develop a more informed perspec-tive on the importance of equity within the field of urban forestry. The sym-posium will be held in the NHS Hall at the Center for Urban Horticulture, 3501 NE 41st Street in NE Seattle (Laurelhurst Neighborhood).First 100 registrations:

Upcoming Events

2017 King County Master Gardener Students

Bill AmesDenise AndersonAlison Andrews

Deborah AndrewsEmily BishtonAmity Bjorck

Constance BollenDeborah CheadleMarianna Clark

Tina CohenSusie CookAnne Curtis

Elizabeth DarrowDavey Tree Expert Company

Julie DerbyJohn Dixon

Mickey & Jeanne EisenbergJanet Endsley

Grun Tree CarePhyllis Harper

Flotsam & Jetsam Garden ClubJody & Conrad Gehrmann

Janet HeineckHelen Hepp

Julie HungarIn Harmony LandscapesIndianola Garden Club

Mary KennedyLeonard & Virginia Korycki

Kramer Tree SpecialistsKurt Looser

Karen MattsonLaine McLaughlin

Janet OrlandoJJ Platt

Carole PressonPrint Fusion

Dorothy ReeseMargaret Schroeter

Sky NurseryPeter Shalit

Gretchen StengelLisa Steinbrueck

Jinny TesikSusie Thompson

John TurnbullJanet Urner

Austin & Mary WatsonLynn Williams

Recent Major Donors


$85 (lunch covered by sponsorship). Additional registrations: $100 per person. Reduced rates and scholar-ships are available. Register online at http://bit.ly/urban-forest. See the PlantAmnesty website for more details.

Sunday, June 11 Master Pruner Class: Art or Atrocity?(See class list on page 13)

Tuesday, June 19 Meeting of Like MindsThe Events Committee has asked Walt Bubelis to be our speaker for the evening. He is a retired teacher from

the horticulture program at Edmonds Community College. A popular and engaging speaker, Walt is highly sought-after throughout the Puget Sound Region. His schedule belies the fact that he’s supposed to be retired, and we were lucky to be able to nab him! Walt’s presentation, entitled “The Greenery of Vienna and Paris,” will focus on the beautiful trees in those cities. This timely topic for Seattle is underscored in Cass’s four-part series on “No Place for Old Trees” that ran in our newsletter from Fall 2015 through Summer 2016 and that is now available on our website home page and on the PlantAmnesty YouTube channel.

These meetings are potlucks, although please come even if you don’t bring food. The meetings are free and open to all. Besides the potluck and informa-tive speaker, the evening will feature announcements about PlantAmnesty’s upcoming activities and the ever-popular auction of horticultural-related items. Proceeds from the auction help defray the costs of renting the venue. Join us at the NHS Hall at the Center for Urban Horticulture, 3501 NE 41st Street in NE Seattle (Laurelhurst Neighborhood).

Saturday, June 24, 10am — 3pm Fruit Tree Field Day(See details on page 12) s

Upcoming Events

Denise Anderson Teaches at One-Day Garden Renovation

in South Seattle

Holly AedantiKimberly Barmann

Diane BeckLinda BoblettJenny Bradley

Ghaska BranchBritescape

Chelsea BuebDonn Callahan

Kathy CinquemaniLaurie Cook

Chris CootsonaHarriet Custer

Davey Tree Expert

CompanyMaggie DeanJohn Dotter

Roberta DowneyCarol EckertLee Emerson

Georgia FergusonTheresa Fox

Marina FrenchElizabeth GarciaEdward Gehrke

Jim GiermanMary Gill

Beth Goodnight

Linda Gorsline Nicholas

Kathy GraunkeDenise HauckMiles Haupt

David HelleneHelen Hepp

Ruth Ann HodelTheresa HuangJulie Hungar

Doug & Alana Hunter

Heather JellersonSarah Jordan

Marlis KorberSuzanne KromLaura Langston

Eva LongSharon Loomis

Caron MacMillanSarah Macquarrie

Joan MadsenHeidi Mair

Marion McInoshLiezel MedinaJosh Meyers

Janice Murphy

Bryan NelsonJan Nelson

Kim O’DonnellBrianna Parke

Luke PetschauerSue Phan

Shirley PhillipsJanet Ploof

Carmelita ScottJohn ShepardNancy Short

David ShumateNicole Silvernale

K. SmetanaDarian Smolar

Lisa SteeleShannon StephensRebecca Stewart

Christopher StraderSusan Stuart

Beatrice WarnerPeter WeertmanMike WentzelKen Willey

Lynn WilliamsStephanie Wilson

Welcome New Members — Spring 2017

PRE-REGISTRATION IS REqUIRED FOR ALL WORkShOPS—SPACE IS LIMITED.

Spring—Saturday, April 15th 10am–3pm Sold outFall—Saturday, September 16th 10am–3pm

Fall (in Spanish)—Friday, October 6th 8:30am–3:30pmThe Renovation Workshop is a popular hands-on all-day event that features a rare 3:1 student-teacher ratio and real-world experi-ence. Students will learn pruning and creative solutions for the overgrown garden as an entire yard is renovated during the class. Topics discussed will be pruning, transplanting, and landscape maintenance. The group will move through an overgrown landscape while instructors give on-the-spot evaluations of plants and demonstrations of pruning. Workshop participants cycle between jobs to learn what the landscape has to offer.

The workshop typically takes place at a private residence within King County selected for its neglected state and diverse plant material so as to provide class instruction on a wide variety of topics. All participants receive a pruning DVD and handouts on various pruning topics.

Fruit Tree Field Day—June 24, 2017 10 am–3 pmAn expert in the field will cover the basics of fruit-tree pruning first thing in the morning. The lecture is followed by an after-noon of live fruit-tree pruning demonstrations in small groups.

Questions: PlantAmnesty at 206-783-9813 (please leave a message) or [email protected]. For more information about the Master Pruner classes check out: www.plantamnesty.org.

Preregistration is required for all workshops—space is limited.

NOTE: Wanted—Pruning Workshop Site Nominations

2017 Pruning and Garden Renovation Workshops

Name(s): ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Address: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ City State ZipPhone: (_______) ______________________________________ Email: __________________________________________________________

You may pay by credit card or check. Please make checks payable to plantAmnesty. Mail completed form and check (if applicable) to: PlantAmnesty, PO Box 15377, Seattle, WA 98115-0377

MasterCard o Visa o Credit Card # ______________________________________________________________ Exp. date ___________

Please mail form below to: PlantAmnesty, PO Box 15377, Seattle, WA 98115-0377

Spring Renovation Workshop

Saturday, April 15, 2017

Fruit Tree Field Day

Saturday, June 24, 2017

Fall Renovation Workshop

Saturday, September 16, 2017

Spanish Renovation Workshop

Friday, October 6, 2017

_____# of PlantAmnesty members @ $85.00 = $ _____________

_____# of non-members @ $95.00 = $ _____________


_____# of non-members @ $75.00 = $ _____________


_____# of non-members @ $95.00 = $ _____________


_____# of non-members @ $50.00 = $ _____________

Total $ _____________

Sold outSold out


Plantamnesty Presents: Cass Turnbull’s Master pruner program

2017 Pruning ClassesPruning experts teach topic-specific pruning techniques in this series of in-depth classes

and workshops. The Master Pruner Program is the set of classes and workshops that, when

completed, certifies the student as a Master Pruner. These classes are open to home garden-

ers, landscape professionals, and horticulture students. Complete the entire series to earn a

certificate or just attend a few classes. Horticulture students can apply their college pruning

classes towards certification. Master Gardener and ISA CEUs can be earned. No preregistra-

tion is required for the Sunday morning classes.

WHERE: Warren G. Magnuson Park, the Brig (Bldg #406) 6344 NE 74th St, Seattle, 98115

WHEN: Sundays, 10 am to noon, except for Workshops

COST: $25 per class, $20 for PlantAmnesty members, $5 for horticulture students and native Spanish speakers

Questions? Email [email protected] or call plantAmnesty at 206-783-9813.

PlantAmnesty Offices, Classes and Events

The complete Master Pruner Course is also offered through University of Washington Botanical Gardens (UWBG) at the Center for Urban Horticulture (CUH) on weekdays in winter 2017. For more information, contact CUH at [email protected] or 206-685-8033.

Upcoming Pruning Classes Sunday, April 9 — Easy Plants to Prune This class covers basic cuts, basic plant habits, and what Cass Turnbull called the pruning budget. Then five plants that are relatively easy to prune are discussed: nandina, evergreen azalea, lilac, camellia, and yew. Taught by Keith Dekker.

Sunday, May 14 — Difficult Plants to Prune This class teaches how to prune Rhododendron, Hydrangea, Callicarpa (Beautyberry), Viburnum bodnan-tense, and Abelia. Included in this class are basic pruning techniques, common pruning mistakes, and corrective pruning.Taught by Ken Tuomi and Anna Moore.

Sunday, June 11 — Art or Atrocity Class covers the three main forms of mal-pruning: tree topping, inappropriate shearing of trees and shrubs, and over thinning. We compare and contrast mal-pruning with bona fide examples of pruning art: pollarding, cloud pruning, topiary, pleaching, and coppicing. Class ends on a humorous note with photos of the Good, the Bad, and the Bizarre. Taught by Christina Pfeiffer.

Sunday, July 9 — Trees 2This is the HOW-TO class for pruning trees (not fruit or nut trees). How to prune a tree limb, how to find the branch collar, pruning of young and mature trees, pruning standards, crown restoration, and the basics of tree risk assess-ment will be covered. Taught by Bess Bronstein.

2017 Schedule• Jan 8 Fruit Trees • Feb 12 Roses • Mar 12 Hackables, Shearables,

and Untouchables • April 9 Easy Plants to Prune•April15 SpringRenovation

Workshop• May 14 Difficult Plants to Prune

(Mother’s Day)• June 11 Art or Atrocity• June 24 Fruit Tree Field Day• July 9 Trees 2• AUGUST NO CLASS • Sept 10 Renovate and Prune•Sept16 FallPruneandReno

Workshop•Oct6th SpanishPruning

Workshop• Oct 8 Tools • Nov 12 Rehabilitative Pruning• DECEMBER — NO CLASS

SOLD OUT


seattle (West seattle): Two Acanthus mollis, bear’s breeches, just emerging now, mature height 10". Contact Katrina at 206-679-1129 or katrina.larsen52gmail.com 3/30

shoreline: Three rhododendrons and one azalea available. One 2' tall pink flowering rhododendron, one 4’ tall with orange and yellow variegated flowers and one 4’ tall pink flowering rhododendron. Azalea is 2’ tall. Contact Cameron at at [email protected] or 206-930-1532. 3/29

seattle (Northgate): Two 5' tall, fuchsia blooming rhododendrons. Need to be removed due to upcoming construction. Contact Kim at [email protected] 3/8

Everett: HOUsEpLANT. One 18" aloe vera. Contact Joe at [email protected] 3/6

Lynnwood: HOUsEpLANT. One 7’ tall weeping fig, Ficus benjamina. Needs a little tlc. It’s listing and needs propping and pruning. It’s in a nice ceramic pot which goes with the plant. Easy access to front door and driveway. Photo available on request. Contact Dale or Katy at 425-745-5542 or email Dale at [email protected]. 3/6

seattle (green Lake): One 7’ tall light pink blooming rhododendron. Photos available on request. Contact Larysa at [email protected]. 3/1

Adopt-A-Plant. You call, you dig, you haul, that’s all.

The PlantAmnesty Adopt-a-Plant list is available on our website for members. If you do not have access to the internet, please call us at 206-783-9813, x3, and we’ll mail you a current copy of the complete list.

Adopt-A-Plant is a PlantAmnesty membership perk. But you don’t have to be a member to put a plant up for adoption. No money shall be given or received for these plants; if you are hired to transplant any,

of course, your labor (only) may be charged. Keep things neighborly!

Please fill holes and leave the site tidy

Northwest ArborvitaeTina Cohen

Certified Arborist

206-789-3283

On site tree & plant diagnostic

services.

Chicken and Dumplings


Professional gardeners have a difficult time enjoying these halcyon spring

days—there is just too much work to do. But we certainly get to see every explod-ing moment of the season’s marathon of flowers. Plant sex is everywhere. Pine candles are puffing pollen, shot weed is shooting, and come-hither lilac blossoms fill my nose with childhood reminiscences. Everybody seems to be getting up and dressed in a hurry.

For now, the flowers outstrip the weeds, but soon the battle will begin in earnest against those too-successful species, the stranglers, the overzealous and rampant, the pernicious, and the persistent—plants we choose to omit.

In truth we gardeners are nature control-lers, just like the nature Nazis we deplore. The difference is that we imitate nature’s designs and control with an understanding of the rules of the game.

Bug sign is evident now, too. Until recently, we’ve seen only sleepy bumble-bees and the early houseflies, but can aphids and slugs be far behind? Rufus, our housecat, brought in a mole to play with. I swear, every spring I feel compelled to

save its blind hide, hoping the cemetery next door doesn’t notice its new underground resident. At least the little guy works for a living, which is more than can be said for Rufus. s

Are You a photosynthesizer sympathizer?Join plantAmnesty Today!

MEMBErsHIp INFOrMATION

New Member(s) Name_______________________________________________ Phone (________)____________________

Address ______________________________________________________________________________________________ City State Zip

Email ______________________________________________ o I want to receive the newsletter ONLY electronically

o This is a gift so the check’s enclosed. o Send the new member a gift card with my name.All new members get a FREE two-hour DVD of Cass giving the world-famous slideshow and the pruning micro course or A FREE 2-hour pruning class in NE Seattle!!!

Send o them a free DVD or o me a free DVD or o me a class coupono English o Spanish (include your address).

Please charge my o Visa o MC Exp. Date _______/________ IssN: 1095-4848

Card # _________________-_________________-_________________-_____________________________________________________

Print Name on Card ________________________________________ Signature _______________________________________________

o Adventitious Buddy . . . . . . . . . . . . . $30.00o Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $40.00o Felco-teer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $60.00o Tree Defender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $120.00

o Heartwood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $250.00o Cambium Club (Lifetime) . . . . . . . $500.00o Limited Income/Student . . . . . . . . . . $15.00

Call for ArticlesDo you enjoy writing?

plantAmnesty is seeking articles—serious or humorous —about pruning, gardening,

or nature. submit articles to

[email protected].

SpringBy Cass Turnbull

(Adapted from a 1991 PlantAmnesty Newsletter)

“To end the senseless torture and mutilation of trees and shrubs”

Non-Profit Org.US Postage

PAIDSeattle, WA

Permit #5011

plantAmnestyP.O. Box 15377Seattle, WA 98115-0377

RETURN SERVICES REqUESTED

Selfie taken by Cass Turnbull in Maui, January 2017

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