from the blog

How To Clean Up Juniper Foliage

How To Clean Up Juniper Foliage

May 8, 2026

You may find the soft “clouds” of mature juniper foliage pleasant. Eventually this gets out of hand and we have a big thundercloud of foliage obliterating the structure of the tree. Which you may have spent a lot of effort wiring and setting. At this juncture some retooling is in order. This juniper has outgrown […]

How Limitation Can Spark: Keith Jarrett’s Köln Concert

How Limitation Can Spark: Keith Jarrett’s Köln Concert

May 1, 2026

Keith Jarrett arrived in Koln, Germany to discover the grand piano he’d requested for his concert wasn’t there. By mistake, a baby grand sat on stage at the opera house, in a condition a lot worse than just out of tune. The pedals didn’t work. And it had poor bass and a tinny upper register. […]

Bonsai Integration

Bonsai Integration

April 24, 2026

A couple weeks ago I posted about a Yellow Cedar, and got a few comments which said it wasn’t integrated. Which is a great critique. Because it isn’t. And I teach integration. Let’s use this Cedar as a sacrificial example, and compare it to others that are well-integrated. And then I’ll explain why I’ve not […]

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