For the last two years I’ve been working with a species that’s new to me – the jabuticaba (Plinia cauliflora). It’s a fruit tree native to Brazil that produces sweet fruit in summer. Jabuticaba (also known as jaboticaba) When I don’t know much about a species, I tend to proceed with caution until I learn […]
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 Strategy
As I go into repotting season, I think about how my plants grew the previous year and whether I want to change the soil mix I use for the upcoming growing season. Last year, summer was mild which meant that many of my trees didn’t dry out between waterings. Among the pines, a few trees […]
Fall cutback on ume
The basics of fall work on ume are straightforward: remove the old leaves and prune to silhouette and/or the desired internode length. Before removing the leaves – no signs of fall color Fall has been mild this year so the leaves remained healthy into December. By removing the leaves, I could better see what branches […]
Trident maple fall pruning and Expo update
Save the date! The second Pacific Bonsai Expo will be held on October 26-27, 2024. We’ll have more updates in upcoming posts so stayed tuned for more info! As for the fall pruning, below is a trident maple showing the last bit of fall color. Trident maple with fall color After removing the leaves it’s […]
Red maple forest fall cleanup
The most consistent fall color in my garden each year can be found on a red maple forest planting that was started by a friend’s father back in the early 80s. Once most of the leaves turn color, I remove them all and do fall pruning. Here’s the tree before I removed the leaves. Red […]