Formative pruning gives the gardener the opportunity to create shrubs and trees with a balanced framework of well-spaced branches and an attractive shape. It is always better to start formative pruning when the plant is young, rather than trying to enforce a shape on an already well-established plant.

Formative pruning may be used to determine a tree's final form; for example, by careful pruning, a young tree may be either pruned to form a standard, or alternatively, may be trained against a wall as an espalier.