This past spring I planted a number of Habaneria radiata – crane orchids – in different soil mixes to see how well each worked for propagation purposes (see Growing terrestrial orchids for details). The first flowers appeared this week so I thought it would be a good time to share the results. A few things surprised me. […]
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Exposed root black pines at the Green Club
A number of the Japanese black pines I’ve grown from seed have been developed in the exposed root style. It’s a fun style to work with as roots offer possibilities that aren’t always available for specimens whose roots are firmly secured in the pot. My first exposure to the style was at the Green Club […]
Refining a black pine
This summer I recorded the process of refining a black pine for Bonsai: Journal of the American Bonsai Society. The resulting article appeared in Volume 50, Number 3. The work was a lot of fun. I took a few more photos than usual and wrote about decandling, cutback, needle pulling and wiring. Here’s a snapshot of […]
Redwood Empire 33rd Annual Exhibit
This past weekend marked Redwood Empire Bonsai Society’s 33rd annual show. As always, the event was a big success as enthusiasts from up and down the west coast came to appreciate the bonsai on display. Prostrata juniper Below is a small selection of this year’s trees, starting with a California juniper styled by Peter Tea. […]
Preparing a juniper for exhibit
Ever find you have a tree or two to prepare for an exhibit and only a limited amount of time to do the work? When my time’s limited, I start with the basics. The basics, if you’re working on a juniper in summer, include cleaning up the tree’s silhouette, removing algae from deadwood, preparing the […]