Possibly the most comprehensive, and easily read text on the subject. I was able to pull her Bibliography out, and list out most of the books below:

1. Persian Gardens and Garden Pavilions
2. Agricultural Innovation in the Early Islamic World: The Diffusion of Crops and Farming Techniques, 700-1100 (Cambridge Studies in Islamic Civilization)

After spending time working on my 2 Japanese Maple trees, and also reading up on pruning Japanese Maple Trees, I realized that there was a glut of serious entries on the subject of pruning these beauties.  Typical blog or articles on the topic typically say, “Let the Japanese maple just grow, and weed out the excessive growth”.  That really does not suffice on pruning this beauty, Unless you really want a simple oval shaped tree.

The Japanese Maple has some unique characteristics, which can make the tree really stand out as a specimen plant, if pruned properly.  My way of thinking was, where better to learn about pruning the Japanese Maple trees, then the Japanese?

With that in mind, I read up on Japanese Niwaki principles, specific to the Maple.  These are my pruning rules for the Acer palmatum, heavily influenced by the book: “Niwaki: Pruning, Training and Shaping Trees the Japanese Way” by Jake Hobson.  But the rules have been adjusted for better understanding, and Western Gardening practices.  But also, updated based on my own limited knowledge of pruning my own trees.

Pruning Rules

Glossary of Pruning Terms

1. Horizontal Branch – A branch growing horizontally, or even slightly upwards (to 45 degree).
2. Vertical Branch – A branch growing 45-90 degrees upwards.
3. Epicorm Growth – This is growth stemming from the center of the tree.  It is also called a branching sucker.  These are branches that are attached to the central root system.  They grow very fast, and move straight up.  If left alone, they can take over the tree, but they are unslightly, and off times, discolored.

General Structural Pruning Rules:

1. Prune for a reason.  Don’t cut any branch, unless there is a reason!
2. Prune for beauty / aesthetics – Make the tree fall into the shape you desire.
   1. Don’t allow the tree to decide what shape it will take, you can control the end result, so use that power for a healthier tree.
   2. It is always to the benefit of everyone, to allow the tree to take the shape it prefers.  So prune with that in mind, but do not allow this rule to stop you from cutting where you need to.
   3. There is a difference between pruning for Health (Arborist), and pruning for beauty.  Sometimes both methods have the same goal in mind.
3. Prune for size: Pruning can be used to control tree size.  A well pruned tree, over the years, can slow growth to 1/2 of original growth speed.Very useful in small gardens.
4. Prune for health: Moderate pruning, utilizing basic pruning principles, will always help the tree.

Pruning the Japanese Maple

Trunk Pruning

1. Prune out epicorm growth – They will take over the plant, and can be unsightly.  These branches can be identified by their discoloration, fast growth, and straight vertical growth.
2. Prune out all vertical growth
   1. Identify your trunks (ie – which vertical branches / trunks you wish to use as the foundational trunks for your tree).  For a Japanese Maple 4-5 is ussually enough for a nice branching tree.
   2. Remove all other vertical branches / trunks.
   3. If you don’t wish to prune a vertical branch for various reasons, then understand that this branch will eventually become a major tree trunk.

Primary Branch Training

The focus here is pruning branches that have grown off the main trunk and secondary trunks.  Don’t worry yet about what is happening on the branches.  We’re only looking at the trunk still.

1. The Japanese Maple has a branching habit, but if you want more branches, then “Top” the tree at a 2 bud node (See diagram below).
   1. The tree will then grow a 2 branch head
2. Prune symmetrical branches – The Japanese Maple Tree has a symmetrical branching structure, where 2 buds will grow, directly opposite of each other.
   1. To create a more natural look, prune out one branch/bud from a pair of symmetrical branches.
      1. If you prune out a left branch, then on the next Symmetrical branch, prune out the right branch.  This allows growth to be even on both sides of the trunk.
3. Prune vertical branches – Remove all vertical branches stemming from the trunk.
   1. The Japanese Maple Tree has a habit of producing a horizontal branch, then a vertical branch next.  Keep this in mind when hunting for vertical growth.
      1. Buds all look like they are vertical growth.  So don’t touch buds until after they have grown a little and exposed their growth tendency.
   2. High up on the tree, there will be no Horizontal branches.  This is a misnomer, as 45 degree angled branches, will eventually bend over (with leaf weight) into a horizontal branch.  So the rule of thumb is, lower on the tree, Horizontal branches are growing horizontally.  Higher on the tree, Horizontal branches are growing about 45 degrees upwards.
   3. There may be places, where you can’t remove vertical branches (Or don’t want to).  In those cases, prune the vertical branch down to the lowest acceptable horizontal branch or bud.  The point here is, you are stopping vertical growth, and leaving a horizontal branch, ensuring future growth is moving horizontal only.
   4. When done properly, you will end up with a Japanese Maple Tree that has strong vertical lines in the trunck and secondary trunks, and all branches wil be moving horizontally.  There will be no or few crossed branches stemming from the cross meeting of a vertical branch and the branch above it.  This promotes health via: More air and light inside the tree structure.

Individual Branch Training

Now, Moving from the trunks, work on each branch individually.  Start from the bottom of the tree, and work on each branch individually as you move up.

1. On each branch, remove any vertical leaf or branch.
2. Remove opposing symmetrical branches.  Ensure that as you do this, the branch has even growth.  If you have 5 branches pointing left, you try for 5 pointing to the right (or at least 3-4 pointing to the right).
   1. The only place this is not the case, is symmetrical up/down branches.  In this case, you remove all vertical (upward branches), and leave the down facing branches.
3. Now step back and look at each individual main branch from several feet away.  Look straight on at the branches, then look at the same branch from the side.
   1. Straight on, the branch should be cascading gently downward.  There should not be any vertical protrusions breaking the wave.
      1. If there are, it means you missed vertical growth, and you should prune this vertical growth out.
   2. Same applies from the side-view.  There should be no breaks in the smooth cascade.
   3. A good simile for the branch, is your hand resting on a broom.  All fingers are loosely pointing out horizontally, and cascade downwards near the finger tips.  There are no fingers pointing up or at an angle.  Your Japanese Maple Tree branches should be the same.

End Result

When trained in this way, you will end up with a unique Japanese Maple Tree, which does not look like a big round Maple Tree when mature.  It will be a tree with character: Selective branches, that wind gracefully downward.  There will be portions of trunk exposed due to missing branches, further enhancing it’s beauty.

Compare this to an unpruned Japanese Maple Tree (Acer Palamtum) or a minimally pruned Japanese Maple Tree   At full maturity, it is large, circular, with criss crossed branches.  It’s big and unwieldy, great for bird nests, but not a true specimen tree in your Garden.

My wife sent this to me, and I readily jumped on it.  A book about nature and being human.  How you HAVE to be in touch, or it can lead to psychological disorders.  It was common 40 years ago for all children to be immersed in nature.  But now, you need to join a club to get out there.  A must read for anyone who has any interest in gardening or the outdoors.

Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder

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Gardens of Delight: The Great Islamic Gardens

Gardens of Delight: The Great Islamic Gardens.  By Christa Van Hantelmann

This is a field I’ve always had a mild curiosity over, and this was my first foray into Islamic Gardens and Architecture.  The book is a very simple yet good primer on Islamic Gardens.  It includes 100+ large photos of current day Islamic Gardens in Spain, Syria, Morocco, Pakistan and India.

Typically sampling 5 of the biggest in each area, the author provides a very simple explanation of what, where and why of the gardens.  It was great for me, as I have such little understanding of the gardens.

On the negative side, there was some mis-information throughout.  Such as bad translations of the Quran, misunderstandings of basic Islamic Garden principles and the like.  But I enjoyed it nonetheless.

A great book, and a steal under $20.

This is a very simplistic and basic book on landscaping with stones. When I say simplistic, it’s typical advice the guy down at Home Depot will provide. I picked this up, because I was beginning a stone pathway project, and thought it might come in handy.

And it did. But not by much.

It’s unfortunate that so many of these wonderful gardens have fallen into disuse due to a lack of interest.  Among the few Western books on the subject, I found a few worth looking at:

1. Islamic Gardens and Landscapes.  An explanation of Islamic Gardens.  The symbolism used, History and current status.  Basically a text explaining these types of Garden.  Quite hard to find, and expensive.
2. 

   The Art of the Islamic Garden

   The Art of the Islamic Garden By Emma Clark.  An in depth look at Islamic Gardens, their theory and practice.

3. 

   Gardens of Paradise: The History and Design of the Great Islamic Gardens

   by John Brookes

4. 

   Gardens of Delight: The Great Islamic Gardens

   By Christa Van Hantelmann .  A look at existing Islamic Gardens.  Their history, layout and analysis of design.
   

5. Underneath Which Rivers Flow: The Symbolism of the Islamic Garden By Emma Clark.  The second book by Emma.
   
6. 

   Gardens, Landscape, and Vision in the Palaces of Islamic Spain

   by D. Fairchild Ruggles.  Another theoretical book about Islamic Gardens in Spain.

7. 

   Islamic Aesthetics: An Introduction

   An interesting book that looks at Islamic Art from the aesthietic point of view.  Not religious point of view.

1. Fine Gardening – Great magazine on awesome garden design

Fine Gardening

2. Great Gardens: Another annual magazine by FG.  This is all about good gardens.

Great Gardens

Designing with Plants

I picked this book up at a Used Book sale.  I had opened the book up, noticed the full size glossy photos of various plants and took it on a whim.  My original plan was to peruse the book as a catalog of what plants I should be looking at.

When I sat down and actually opened the book up, I was surprised to find it was actually quite a nice book on garden design.  The author is a specialist in this field, and he lays out what he believes are the rules of good garden design.

In the beginning chapters, the book defines different plants types (as it relates to garden design).  Once the foundation is set, the rest of the book talks about different systems of plant combinations and useful techniques.  I found that the philosophy followed is not a “traditional” North American Garden Design system, yet still very interesting and the end product very beautiful.

The author obviously loves his garden, and it shows in the book.  A worthwhile read, esspecially for beginners.

Link to Book at Amazon: Designing with Plants [DESIGNING W/PLANTS]