About a month ago, I noticed some of my pines turning yellow near the base of the needles. Yellowing pine needles I rarely see this in my older pines, but it sometimes shows up in the younger trees in my garden. It’s a common sign that the trees are staying too wet between waterings. After […]
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.
Can you see the signs? Identifying weak roots by checking the foliage
I acquired a number of field-grown shimpaku junipers earlier this year. Most are growing well. Healthy juniper The best signs of health, in this case, are the green color and the handful of elongating shoots at the ends of the upper branches. Vigorous shoot Here’s another healthy juniper that produced a lot of growth this […]
Removing wire from an old grafted Shimpaku
If you haven’t checked the wired trees in your garden to see if any wire is cutting in, now’s a good time to do so. I often wire a lot of trees over winter or in early spring and by this time of year a lot of the wires have started to cut in. This […]
Bringing new trees into the garden: coast redwood
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 […]
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 […]