On Root Rot
Roots are our main business. Naturally, we tend to be preoccupied with the green areas that we organize with scissors or wire…but really, top notch leaf, needle and shoot health is only possible with lots of healthy roots. Root rot is often the result of low soil media oxygen levels, as water saturated media can […]
Revisiting A Dead-Topped Azalea-
Several years ago a weak Satsuki ‘Kinsai’ azalea arrived in the garden with a dead crown, dead branches, and shari down two sides—characteristics that suggested a promising juniper rather than an azalea. After a period of puzzling, we thought a prostrate styling might be a new future for it, and that, with luck, we might […]
A Few Takeaways from the Joe Harris III Seminar on Satsuki Azaleas-
Every year we invite a talented bonsai artist to talk in the studio here for our summer Crataegus Bonsai Seminar, and this year it was filled to overflowing with more than 30 people in a space that was built to teach 6. We were well rewarded for the sardining, however, as Joe Harris III gave […]
How do We Deal with a Dead Topped Azalea?
It seems so very common, azaleas that lose their tops. A stressed out azalea will often give up what it cares about least, which is its crown. But then it can be troublesome to recreate what was there. This tree came into the yard recently with just this problem. If anything, it was a severe […]
