All I Know About Pruning I Learned From A Google Search

Today I pruned our plum tree. I'm sure I did it all wrong and at the wrong time. I've never pruned a tree before, which is why our tree was so desperately in need of pruning. When I asked at the garden store how to do it right, they just said "you prune it into an open vase," which made me picture a very attractive floral arrangement of budding branches on my kitchen table, but was utterly useless when it came to selecting which branches to cut off.

So I did a Google search on "open vase pruning" and got some vague idea of what this "open vase" shape meant. And armed only with a little hand pruner and a saw, I set out to perform surgery on a poor helpless live tree. I'm sure that if the tree had legs, it would have tried to run away.

I have come to the following conclusions:
(1) If we're going to have a tree that tall, we really ought to invest in a sturdy pair of long-handled pruning shears that can handle the thicker branches.
(2) I really, really, really need a garden mentor who can walk me through this sort of thing.
(3) God help me when I try to grow potatoes.