Japanese black pine bonsai entails a set of refining techniques known as decandling. At its most simple, it refers to the process of removing spring growth to encourage summer growth. At its most complex it involves more variables than I can address in a single post. Regardless the approach, the goals remain the same – […]
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Sizing up candles
You’ve seen the pictures in the books and magazines. Before decandling your Japanese black pines, divide the new growth into four categories of differing vigor. Below that simple instruction one will find a photo that resembles the following: Spring growth as reported by the mainstream bonsai media Actual spring growth Our trees, however, tend to […]
Summer cutback – Korean hornbeam
Korean hornbeam is one of my favorite varieties for bonsai. I find them beautiful and rewarding to work with. And vigorous – healthy specimens tend to get shaggy this time of year. My tree was due for a haircut. Side view, before As is the case with a number of deciduous varieties, I let the […]
Leaf pruning – stewartia
I’m a big fan of stewartia. The variety officially known as Stewartia monadelpha goes by “hime-shara” in Japan and the unimaginative common name “Tall Stewartia” – a usage I’ve yet to hear in bonsai. They develop medium-fast and are known not for their white flowers or small, fuzzy fruit but for their beautiful copper-bronze trunks […]
Summer cutback – Japanese plum
I have worked on this tree a long time – and it still has a long way to go. Shoots on the key branch are only two years old, and I have yet to “fix” the right side of the apex. It’s been a great project as the tree has been in my family since […]