In December, as a member of the Japanese Garden Society, I was able to attend an Acer pruning workshop at Kingston Lacey in Dorset. Since my trip to Japan I have become more interested in the gardening techniques required to maintain trees and shrubs, and also attended a talk on topiary by Jake Hobson, a pruner and topiary specialist who set up his own business ‘Niwaki’ in Shaftesbury, where his shop is full of ‘great stuff from Japan’ which is also available online.