I recently added a new tree to my collection – a mountain hemlock. I haven’t worked with the variety before so I have a lot of learning ahead of me. Mountain hemlock – Tsuga mertensiana My first goal for the tree is to develop a healthy root base. To do this, I will bare root half of […]
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A root over rock maple is born
I see some amazing trees in Bay Island Bonsai workshops. I also see some amazing projects. The root over rock Japanese maple planting below is clearly one of the latter. Root over rock maple planting in training Young maples were planted on a large stone a year or two ago. This year, the tree’s owner […]
Fertilizer technique
A simple and tidy way to apply bonsai fertilizer? Tea bags. I’ve seen a number of folks use tea bags to hold fertilizer, but I hadn’t tried the technique until this year. I typically pour mounds of cottonseed meal on the surface of the soil, but much of the fertilizer washes away, and the rest […]
Preparing a young black pine for show
“Show trees are full trees,” Boon tells us. In need of a second tree to display with my root over rock trident maple, I searched my garden for full trees. I found one, but it was clear that not all full trees are show trees. Japanese black pine My optimistic side figured that some selective […]
Selecting a pot for a small trident maple bonsai
For months, I’d planned on showing a small hinoki in Bay Island Bonsai’s 13th annual exhibit. The hinoki’s health took a turn for the worse and I found myself with a few weeks to prepare another tree for exhibit. I selected a deciduous tree for the exhibit – a root over rock trident maple. I […]