This past winter I started a number of trees from seed. I planted the usual varieties – black and red pine – but also added some new varieties. I have yet to develop these varieties from seed to mature trees so am looking forward to seeing what comes next. Chinese quince seedlings A Chinese quince seedling […]
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.
Exposed root pines in progress
Last year I made reference to a process for developing exposed root pines (see “Repotting 1 year old black pine seedlings“). I started two last year, one black, one red. Here’s the black pine at 1 year. 1-year-old black pine The tree has done well – here it is a year and a half later. […]
Wiring an olive
After repotting a new olive this past spring, some long shoots are starting to develop. Olive As the tree is growing strongly, I wired some of the primary future branches and removed extraneous shoots. After cutback and wiring These branches will have to thicken considerably to ease the transition from the large trunk so I’ll let […]
Grafting Utah juniper – removing the original foliage
I grafted the Utah juniper below almost a year and a half ago (see “Grafting Utah juniper“). The scions have really taken hold – so much so that it’s time to remove some of the original foliage. Utah juniper grafted with kishu shimpaku foliage After removing most of the original foliage I left two of the original […]
Developing black pine – setting the first curves
When developing bonsai from scratch – from seed or from very young stock – the first order of business is creating the trunk. This is easier said than done. Some of the very first curves are set when the tree is still young. For black and red pine, I’ve been applying the first wires at around […]