This Thanksgiving weekend, I’d like to introduce a project I’ve been working on for the past two years: The Little Book of Bonsai! Cover of The Little Book of Bonsai The book is a beginner’s guide that introduces readers to basic bonsai care and techniques. It’s being published by the amazing people at Ten Speed […]
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.
Review of Bonsai Empire’s Advanced Bonsai Courses
Over the past year, Bjorn Bjorholm and Bonsai Empire released two online courses focusing on advanced bonsai techniques. Together, the courses provide twelve hours of instruction delivered by Bjorn. If you caught the Bonsai Beginners Course or the Bonsai Intermediate Course, you’re familiar with the format. Each course is collection of videos of Bjorn working […]
Tracking down banding symptoms in black pine
I was surprised to find yellow banding on a few of my pines this fall. It’s not something I’ve seen much of in my garden over the years so it caught my attention when small yellow patches appeared. Yellow banding on black pine needles The overall health of the needles is good, and the damage […]
Diagnosing root rot in black and red pine bonsai
For years, I’ve spotted unhealthy shoots on black and red pines and wondered about the cause. Unhealthy foliage on black pine The main symptoms are discoloration – primarily yellow foliage – and deformed needles. The problem affects young trees and old trees alike. On more refined trees, I see short, twisty, needles like in the […]
Homing in on the ideal environment for satsuki azaleas
A few months ago, two satsuki professionals visited my garden. The weather was unseasonably warm when they arrived – it reached 102, an unusual high for June – and they were worried I wasn’t watering my azaleas enough. They repeatedly stressed that azaleas don’t do well when they dry out or when it gets too […]