Getting the timing right when decandling is as much art as science – or so it can seem. While it can be tough to determine the ideal time to decandle a tree upfront, in hindsight it’s usually pretty clear what went right or wrong (see When to Decandle for details). When the proper time to […]
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.
White pine clean-up
Fall is a good time to work on white pine. The spring growth has hardened off, and the old needles are beginning to turn brown. White pine in need of clean up As the specimen pictured above was in need of a clean-up, I removed the old needles and lightly thinned branches in the strongest […]
Dwarf Sawara cypress cutback
I’m now one year into a project to develop a dwarf Sawara cypress bonsai from nursery material. Last year I reduced the silhouette and repotted. Am doing the same this year. Dwarf Sawara cypress I removed between one and two inches of foliage. Shoot before cutback Shoot after cutback And I’ve pretty much decided on […]
Yaupon holly refinement
Once or twice a year, my Yaupon holly gets a haircut. I cut back to the silhouette, remove branches that are growing up down and thin branches in crowded areas. The work is fun and the result is pleasing. Yaupon holly – before cutback After cutback Depending on the weather, I can expect a new flush of […]
Japanese flowering quince – chojubai
One of the relatively new trees in my garden is a Japanese flowering quince ‘chojubai.’ As I purchased the tree from Boon bare-root, I’ve mainly focused on letting the tree gain vigor. Toward this end, I’ve been watering, feeding and removing flowers and flower buds when I can. Japanese flowering quince ‘chojubai’ Like many chojubai, […]