Several years ago, I started some Chinese quince from seed. They grow rapidly and have proved to be a fun variety to grow. Young Chinese quince I’m cutting them back this fall to remove branches that lack curves. This will encourage the remaining branches to thicken. Here’s a close-up of the tree above. Straight branches […]
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 large cork oak
I’ve really enjoyed working on cork oak bonsai this year. The bark can be beautiful and the variety grows quickly where I live. This fall, I contributed to an article published in the current issue of Bonsai: Journal of the American Bonsai Society that focuses on oaks. One of the trees I wrote about is a […]
Bonsai Development Series #2: maintaining low branches on young pines
One of the most common questions I hear relating to the development of pine bonsai has to do with the lower branches: What should I do with them? The answer is fairly simple – keep them. There are, however, some details that may come in handy. Let’s look at an example. The pine below is […]
Removing air-layers from an old juniper
What do you do with a San Jose juniper that has too many branches? Create some air-layers! At least, that’s what Kenji Miyata did. I acquired a half-dozen junipers from Miyata last year, five of which came with layers in progress. Now that the weather has cooled down, I thought it could be a good […]
Fall cutback on ume bonsai
Here’s a brief update on an ume I’ve been working on since losing the top branches. After letting the tree grow freely through the growing season, now’s a good time for some cutback. Before cutback – side A Before cutback – side B The goal at this point is to develop the basic branch structure. […]