Black Pine: Subtle Corrections
Here’s a GIF of a small Japanese Black Pine after a couple adjustments. These are subtle, so it may take several viewings to see the final adjustments. The GIF has 3 parts. Here’s a breakdown of the adjustments: Part 2: Needles pulled, and lowest right and left branches lowered Part 3: The crown has a […]
Michael Roberts:
A year ago we featured Michael Roberts on a couple blog posts, and here’s another one. Michael not only works with great care and patience over many years but also had the foresight to take photos of his subjects. Which makes posts like these a pleasure. Young Corkbark Elm, 2010. Notice the pots in the […]
Are The Best Bonsai Grown By Hobbyists?
In this week’s Bonsai Wire podcast I discuss this idea with John Eads. John Eads owns Left Coast Bonsai, a young-tree bonsai development nursery left of Portland, Oregon, nestled up against the Coast Range. As a professional he talks of the need to balance speed with quality. Because of this limitation, it’s our opinion that […]
Little and Big Bluestem Kusamono–
On a recent visit to Wisconsin I was standing in a field with my mother, talking about the prairie remnant surrounding us. And in a slipstream moment, thought… What about a Bluestem kusamono? I hardly imagine I’m the first to think of Bluestem for an accent piece. So this really isn’t about Little or Big […]
Beech Fall Pruning GIF
Like last week’s post, here’s a GIF to help visualize pruning. With the Chojubai last week, we pruned the bottom more than the top. Here, with a beech, the top is pruned more, with some extensions left on the lower branches to help fatten them. As a general guide for undeveloped bonsai (but often useful […]
Fall Pruning GIF
A GIF makes it easier to visualize branch removal. Here’s a Chojubai as an example of fall pruning. The pruning shown here may be applied to many shrubs. Although on first look the pruning looks uniform, it isn’t. With a closer look you may see: Lower shoots were cut short, to control basal dominance of […]
Pruning Japanese Maples And Clumps
This specimen offered a couple key points about Japanese Maple pruning, and pruning forests and clumps. Japanese Maple in need of fall pruning. To prevent sap bleeding from cuts, Japanese maple is often best pruned before leaf drop. Another good time to prune it is at repotting time, as repotting will stop bleeding from pruning […]
Recipe: Alcohol / Resin Wood Hardener
Wood hardener lengthens the life of deadwood. It hardens punky wood in danger of eroding away, and likely protects against decomposition by pathogens. Store bought wood hardeners can certainly be used. I’ve tried them, and they seem to apply the resin mostly to the outside layer of wood. I prefer the recipe I learned in […]
Review: Bonsai Empire’s New Kimura Course
Once again the crew of Bonsai Empire returned to Mr. Kimura’s studio to interview and film, turning out Kimura Techniques Masterclass. This course is an intimate and up-close view of Mr. Kimura working on two trees. You get to see him change his mind as he styles, according to what he discovers, and talk through […]