Last week I received a reminder that it’s time to repot the pines in my garden. Strong winds had knocked over a young exposed root pine revealing lots of new roots. Broken pot My favorite time to repot pines is after the roots start growing but before the buds begin to open so the timing […]
Bonsai Development
Bonsai Development posts form the heart of Bonsai Tonight. Learn about varieties like Black Pine, Shimpaku and Japanese Maple, techniques like Decandling and Grafting and Air Layering, and bonsai features like Deadwood.
Repotting a Japanese maple forest planting
Tips for removing old soil to improve the surface roots on a Japanese maple forest.
Repotting a neglected atlas cedar
I recently worked on an atlas cedar that hadn’t been repotted in many years. The basic steps are the same as they are for recently repotted trees, but the extent of the work is different. In short, there are far more old roots to be removed. Here’s the tree. Atlas cedar At a glance, the […]
Fall cutback on Japanese maple
The Japanese maple below is another beautiful tree from Gene Lynch’s collection. The basics are all in place which means the next step is to continue increasing branch density through pinching and pruning. Japanese maple In fall, this means making small cuts to improve the branch structure and overall silhouette. In places where one branch […]
Fall cutback on an informal upright hornbeam
Thoughts on future development for a mature hornbeam bonsai.