MaryAnn Burman

1948–2022

We have lost a very special member whose gracious and generous spirit was at the heart of the Pruning Club. MaryAnn Burman was warm, supportive, kind, gentle and smart. She inspired us with her deeply intuitive approach, and encouraged us to bring our hearts as well as our skilled focus to our pruning work.

MaryAnn began taking aesthetic pruning classes and volunteering with the Pruning Club in the early 2000s, and contributed in so many ways to our pruning community. She led pruning events and symposia, became an Aesthetic Pruners Association (APA) Certified Aesthetic Pruner, presented and wrote about the healing aspects of pruning and Japanese Gardens. She spoke at the very first North American Japanese Garden Association (NAJGA) conference in 2012 in Denver, CO, and her article, “Sensory Perceptions: Aesthetic Pruning & Healing” was published in Sukiya Living: The Journal of Japanese Gardening (76), July/August 2010. (View article.)

Most recently, in October 2021, MaryAnn participated as a panelist at an APA New Professionals meeting on "Your Pruning Plan and Pruning for the Big Picture." During that discussion and through volunteering at a Pruning Club event this February, MaryAnn enthusiastically shared her experience and unique perspective, even in the final months of a long illness, to help guide a new generation of pruners.

MaryAnn’s background in nursing and healing arts informed her work with plants and gardens, and in her own words, led her to “work with nature and its restorative powers… and to facilitate a deeper relationship between the client and their garden. Working with nature is essential for restoring wholeness and balance in life, thus contributing to health, well-being and happiness.”

MaryAnn was a joy to know and will be deeply missed.

Details about a memorial will be announced once we receive information from MaryAnn’s family.