Some trees point left, others point right. White pine that points to the left(This and subsequent photos are from the 2020 Kokufu exhibition) Korean hornbeam that slants to the right There are a number of ways to indicate direction or flow in bonsai. In the above examples, the line of the trunk (from the base […]
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Fall cutback on Japanese plum
When the leaves of my Japanese plums (Prunus salicina) change color and fall off, it’s time for fall pruning. The goal is to remove branches that have reached the desired thickness and wire branches that are soft enough to bend. Here’s an example. Tree #1 before pruning Tree #1 after pruning and wiring These plums […]
Selecting trees for exhibit one year out
It’s been fun to start planning for next year’s Pacific Bonsai Expo. Setting the date, selecting the space, and figuring out how everything will work has been the main focus so far. Now it’s time to start thinking about the trees! As a juried exhibition, it’s up to the jurors, Bjorn Bjorholm, Ryan Neil, and […]
Twelve month countdown to the Pacific Bonsai Expo
Twelve months from today, the doors will open for the Pacific Bonsai Expo. This makes today a great day to look at your garden and see what your trees look like at this time of year. Preparing bonsai for exhibits often starts one or more years ahead of the event. By checking your trees twelve […]
Wiring a Ponderosa pine
For the past three years, I’ve been working on a Ponderosa pine with large branches on the upper half of the trunk. I spent the first two years getting the tree healthy enough to work on and I lightly pruned and repotted it last year. The tree responded well and is now ready for styling. […]