Learning from the masters...

The people who prune the shrubs and trees here are so knowledgeable.  They have years of experience.  I have watched, observed their work and finally, learned how to come close to the quality of their work.  This bugambillas or bougainvillea is one of my pride and joys.  It was in the worst imaginable shape when I moved in to this house,  just a hideous stump with no leaves or flowers.  And now its four meters of blossoms fill the front wall... I love it!

Update:  Someone asked how they do it.  You can see from my example that it has been shaped using hedge clippers.  The ones in the city are prime examples of this.  It takes a couple of years to get old plants back in shape.  You have to cut the suckers off, get a good central trunk and then use the clippers, knowing that even though it seems brutal, the plants will fill out.  I drive by some great examples of old shaped plants on my drive into the city in the median strip just after Santa Rosa.  Really beautiful topiary work.  I also love how they prune ficus benjaminas.  The same principle using hedge clippers.  The ones in the parking lot of Plaza del Valle are amazing.  If you look up through them you can see they are actually cylinders with a hole cut at the top to let light in.  I'll have to take photos of them.