Last year I grew a batch of azaleas that had recently been bare-rooted. To help the trees get established, I let them grow freely all year. By fall they were healthy and full of new leaves. Normally I like to thin azaleas in fall, but because I wanted these trees to continue growing vigorously, I […]
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.
Refining a 15 year-old black pine
One of my favorite things about working on trees I’ve had for a long time is that the work is straightforward. My normal pattern is to spend the first few years of a tree’s time in my garden getting it healthy. Once the tree is healthy, I can spend the next few years doing any […]
Fall cutback on stewartia
As the weather has started to cool where I live, leaves are now falling from some of the deciduous trees in my garden. This is the perfect time for fall pruning. Stewartia monadelpha I first remove the dead leaves so I can get a better view of the branches. After removing the leaves With a […]
BDS #19: Encouraging interior buds on young red pines
After more than twenty years of growing pine bonsai from seed, I noticed a big difference between red and black pines this year. Red pines are harder. Specifically, red pines are less likely to develop small shoots in the tree’s interior that can be used to create primary branches after thickening the trunk. Here’s an […]
Fall clean-up on shohin satsuki azalea
Fall is a good time to thin satsuki azaleas that filled in over summer. Shohin satsuki azalea – ‘Hanabin’ Doing this work lets light into the tree’s interior and makes it easy to spray for thrips, lace bugs, or any other insects that feed on satsuki foliage. The work is simple: remove unnecessary shoots, reduce […]