When you hold the clippers at the top of the game, a piece of each plant blinks. I don't understand what this is trying to show? It doesn't just blink for brown parts, is it trying to show which pieces to take off to improve the plant? It seems like it always makes a piece I wouldn't really want to remove blink instead of a part I would be willing to cut, such at the top part on the maples!

I feel like I'm missing something important!

I'm wondering too.
I just tried it with one plant: prunned every part that was flashing. After I prunned one part I checked and another part was flashing. I sopped when it told me to cut down the whole plant. So I don't know eather.

Whenever you hold the shears outside of a small window the bottom right leaf will always blink. This does not mean you should cut the flashing leaves. The only way to see what pieces need to be pruned is to watch the plants during the early growth stages. The fact that the leaves are flashing when shears are out of window holds no effect, clues, keys or otherwise for the game. It's just somethin that happens.

The flashing is just a way to tell you what part of the plant will be cut off if you click the clipper right there. Move the clippers until the part you want to prune is flashing, then click, being careful not to move the clippers in the process. Slow and steady is the key.

Very true. A poor cactus was the victim of a pruning accident and never got bought.
**Hides from Charley, the Cactus Avenger**

I find this little tip helpful when pruning: If you think a leaf it brown but not really sure (maybe when they're still smallish), when you hold the clipper to it it blinks as long as the leaf normally would be. This is easiest to see on the fern. When the leaf is brown its shorter than normal, so the leaf glows longer...see?