A person cannot love a plant after he has pruned it, then he has either done a poor job or is devoid of emotion.

Bailey’s remark treats pruning not as a cold, mechanical act but as an intimate form of care that tests one’s attachment. To prune well is to cut with knowledge of the plant’s habits and future growth, accepting short-term loss (removed branches, altered form) for long-term health, vigor, and beauty. If affection disappears after pruning, Bailey suggests two possibilities: the pruning was done ignorantly or harshly, leaving the plant disfigured and the pruner ashamed; or the pruner’s “love” was merely sentimental, unable to endure necessary discipline. The line reframes horticultural skill as a moral-emotional practice: true stewardship combines tenderness with informed, sometimes painful, intervention.