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 […]
Bonsai Blog
Search
(Enter search terms and press 'Enter')
Recent Posts
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 […]
Summer cutback – Ume
The ume, Prunus mume, is a wonderfully vigorous variety. Shoots on a medium sized tree can easily run two or three feet in a single season – which is good and bad. Good in that careful and well-timed wiring can lead to branches that set and develop quickly. Bad, because a neglected tree can quickly […]
Bay Area Satsuki Aikokai 15th Annual Exhibit
Last weekend the Bay Area Satsuki Aikokai (BASA) held their 15th annual exhibit (congratulations!). It’s nice to see that the organization has done well over the years. The exhibit and demonstrations were well attended and the trees looked great. Satsuki azalea BASA’s exhibit is held at the Lakeside Garden Center in Oakland, CA. While a […]