Iolanthe

Fantastic article and great photos! I, too, remember my first puya sighting. It was at the Korbel Winery Gardens in Sonoma County near the Russian River. The color and texture knocked me back on my heels and I had to have one! I picked up a plant from Annie's Annuals and put it in my cactus garden, where it thrived. I anxiously awaited the first bloom, and was surprised and somewhat disappointed when it turned out not to be Puya alpestris, but, rather, Puya mirabilis, which is white-flowered and generally daintier. I have yet to acquire an alpestris, but I will!

FYI, the Puya mirabilis is easy to garden around; the spikes are not particularly vicious. Also, although it suffers frost damage every year over the winter in my Sunset Zone 14/15 garden, it always bounces right back, and has gotten bigger every year. It might present a good solution for providing your clients with the thrill of a puya without the difficulty of getting that color to work in a larger plan.

I certainly agree that poorly executed pruning, as illustrated in your hilarious (and painful) photos, is inexcusable. I also agree that sometimes people have simply chosen the wrong plant for the space and need to face up to it.

BUT I'd be the last person to squelch the gardener's creative impulse, however it expresses itself. Think of Leven's Hall in the UK! Think of the wonderfully undulating yew hedge at Powys Castle in Wales. Think of of Versailles! As for onesey-twosey plant pruning à la Dr. Seuss, well, I kinda like it. It has become part of the landscape vernacular in San Francisco, near where I live, and I enjoy the whimsicality of it.