Wiring a Western juniper

I got around to wiring my Western juniper at a recent Bay Island Bonsai workshop. It doesn’t look like much now, but the main branches are in place and need only to lengthen and fill in. Here’s the before and after.

Western juniper

After removing the main branch and widening the shari (see “Refining a Western Juniper”)

After wiring the main branches

After finishing the juniper, I thinned out a small satsuki azalea that had grown full during the growing season. I removed a few long shoots and thinned new shoots to two when several grew from the same location.

Azalea – before thinning

After thinning – new planting angle

I think this tree was previously planted at a similar angle. The first branch is quite large and hard to bend. Tilting the tree adds interest to the trunk and improves the angle of the first branch. Although the current pot is appropriate for the tree, I’m ready for a change. Time to start looking for a new pot!