The last deciduous tree in my garden to open up this spring was a European beech. Normally I pinch the new shoots as they open, but as this tree was recently repotted, I let the new shoots elongate to help the tree recover. Now that it’s clear that the tree responded well to the work, […]
Bonsai Blog
Search
(Enter search terms and press 'Enter')
Recent Posts
Spring cutback on Korean hornbeam
I usually start thinking about pruning and partially defoliating Korean hornbeam in May. It’s around this time of year that the spring growth hardens off and shades out the interior branches which makes it a good time to prune. Dense foliage on a Korean hornbeam – May 12, 2021 For the last few years, I […]
Hard cutback on satsuki azaleas
A number of my azaleas have been slow to leaf out this year. Here’s an example. Exposed-root Kozan-no-hikari As you can see, the foliage is anemic and the old leaves curve downward. It’s the first time I’ve seen these symptoms so I checked my satsuki books and talked with friends who have good experience with […]
Evaluating vigor of trident maples in spring
Before I prune on my deciduous bonsai in spring, I check to see if they’re up for the work. Here’s a trident maple at the end of March. Trident maple – March 30th Although the leaves are healthy, they are pale green and there are no new shoots developing. This tells me that the tree […]
Removing large leaves on a red maple forest
My red maple forest has filled in nicely this spring – so much so that some of the interior leaves are already turning yellow. Acer rubrum, Red maple Weak interior leaf To let more light into the tree’s interior, I shortened elongating shoots and removed the largest leaves. Elongating shoot with red, bronze, and pale […]