One thing I like to do when I bring new trees into the garden is to give them a close look. I don’t always stop to appreciate all of a tree’s good or bad points when I’m shopping so I try to take the time once the trees come to the garden. I also like […]
Bonsai Care
The bonsai care category includes topics like Watering, Fertilizing, Repotting and Bonsai Soil. You can also find information about the Pests commonly found on bonsai, and read Interviews with bonsai professionals.
Enjoying potentilla in bloom
I’ve enjoyed growing a small potentilla for the last two years. As a deciduous shrub, I can appreciate the structure of the branches in winter and enjoy the flowers in summer. Potentilla in bloom Potentilla flower In my garden, the tree really kicks into gear around this time of year. If my goal for this […]
Repotting young chojubai in summer
This past spring, as the deciduous bonsai in my garden began to leaf out, I noticed several dwarf flowering quince began to die back. Over the next two months, about half of these chojubai died. I found no evidence of insects or fungus, and a nearby lab couldn’t identify the culprit either. Our best guess […]
Bare-root azalea follow-up
Back in February I potted up around 60 bare-root satsuki azalea bonsai. Having not worked with bare-root specimens before, I was really curious to see how the trees would do with so few roots. Most started out slowly due to cool weather, but since spring warmed up, they have been growing quickly. And now that […]
Early appearance of summer buds and a decandling tip
Seeing a note on my calendar to finish decandling a pine, I headed outside and brought the pine below into the workshop. Partially decandled black pine The idea was to remove the weaker shoots ahead of the stronger shoots. Although I usually decandle all of a tree’s shoots on a single day, I occasionally remove […]