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Bonsai Development Series #4: Removing the sacrifice branch
The basic idea of sacrifice branches is a simple one: develop sacrifice branches in order to thicken the trunk and then remove them when the trunk reaches the desired thickness. The application of this...
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Bonsai Development Series #5: Selecting a new trunk line
One of my fourteen-year-old pines is a lot bigger than the others. Beyond some selective pruning the last few years, I’ve mostly let the tree grow freely. This year, it’s time to select a branch to...
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Repotting a Jeffrey Pine
One of the newest trees in my garden is a Jeffrey pine. Jeffrey Pine Jeffrey pines are high-altitude trees native to California. Like the Ponderosa pine, the needles grow in sets of three. Jeffrey pine...
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Alternative approach to creating shohin pine bonsai
I’ve been following the same approach to creating pine bonsai for the past few years now. It’s time for a change! I outlined the basic approach for starting informal upright pines five years ago (see...
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Bonsai Development Series #6: Sacrifice branch basics
Few trees in my garden better demonstrate the use of sacrifice branches than the pine below. Black pine – six-years-old from seedling-cutting The large branch that grows up and to the right is the...
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Spring watering tips
Spring is my favorite time of year in the garden. It’s also a rather challenging season when it comes to watering. Without checking the soil, it can be hard to tell how much water a tree needs at a...
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Novel displays at Bonsai Society of San Francisco’s annual exhibit
You know it’s a good day when a bonsai display makes you do a double take. Slant-style spruce Yep, the tree is sitting on a sheet of glass. Better yet, the glass is supported – balanced no less – by...
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Catching up on black pine work in spring
Spring is typically a season for letting bonsai grow freely. For black pines, some of the main tasks include fertilizing and removing young pine cones. Tea bag with cottonseed meal fertilizer Removing...
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Spring growth on Japanese beech – understanding when to pinch
Buds on Japanese beech are easy to spot – they’re the long, pointy things at the ends of branches. Japanese beech buds They are among the last buds to open in spring. Once most of the quince, maples,...
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Protecting bonsai from hail damage
Here’s a topic I never planned to address – protecting bonsai from hail damage. As most readers know far better than I do, hail can quickly damage bonsai – especially deciduous varieties with foliage...
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Thinning a red pine forest
In general, I treat red and black pines the same. This doesn’t, however, mean that the trees respond the same to the same work. Black pines are generally the more predictable of the two varieties....
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2018 Gateway to Bonsai – exhibit highlights
The American Bonsai Society and the Bonsai Society of Greater St. Louis hosted Gateway to Bonsai this past weekend in Collinsville, Illinois. The event drew visitors from all over the country – and a...
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An alternative approach to repotting trees in development
For young trees growing in colanders, a repot isn’t always necessary when the roots run out of space. Here’s an overview of an alternative approach in two photos. Red pine in 6″ colander After nesting...
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Defoliating a shohin Japanese maple
I started working on a shohin Japanese maple about a year and a half ago. Here’s what it looked like at the end of 2016. Shohin Japanese maple The first order of business was repotting. I found the...
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Repotting out of season – bringing new trees into the garden
I generally don’t do a lot of work on new trees until I have a good idea what shape the roots are in. I’ll water, fertilize and maybe do some cutback but hold off on wiring until I know the tree is...
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Removing flowers on satsuki azaleas
Satsuki azaleas are beautiful when they bloom. Cutting-grown satsuki They are somewhat less attractive when the petals fall away. Azalea flowers after losing their petals Once most of the flowers on a...
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Cutback and wiring on a semi-cascade ume
Mid-May is when I usually begin working on my deciduous bonsai. If a tree has grown well, I’ll reduce the new shoots to 2-4 leaves and wire any branches that need adjusting. An ume in my garden has...
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Focus on defoliation – determining how many leaves to remove
After an experiment with full defoliation on a Korean hornbeam – see the process (here) and the results (here) for details – I’ve made it an annual practice to partially defoliate refined specimens....
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Spring maintenance for junipers – removing the berries
When it comes to juniper bonsai, spring is great for watering, fertilizing and letting new shoots grow freely. It’s also a good time to remove newly formed berries. Chinese juniper grafted on...
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Caring for recently dug pines
The first few years of growing pines from scratch can be a lot of fun. From sprouting the seeds, to making seedling cuttings, to setting the first curves of the trunk, the early years of pine...
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