Some of my exposed root pines are close to seven years old. They have long sacrifice branches to help thicken the roots. Although the fastest way to thicken the roots will be to let the tree grow freely all summer, I often prune this time of year to improve the branch structure. As an added […]
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Decandling field-grown pines
When decandling season comes around, I start with the biggest pines in the garden and work my way down to the smallest ones over a period of four-to-six weeks. This gives the larger trees enough time to develop needles over summer that are just the right size (see “Decandling overview” for details). Two of my […]
Post-bloom care for satsuki azaleas
When all goes well, satsuki bonsai can produce lots of flowers in spring. Hakurei-no-hikari – 15″ After 80% of the flowers have bloomed, it’s time to remove all remaining flowers, taking care to remove the seed pods left behind after the petals fall away (see “Removing flowers” for details). Kinsai just past peak bloom After […]
Spring cutback on stewartia
For the past few weeks, I’ve been writing about maintenance work for mature deciduous bonsai as that’s what I’ve been focusing on in the garden. Before moving on to a new topic (it’s almost decandling season!) here’s a look at a stewartia due for spring cutback. Stewartia monadelpha The tree has developed a lot in […]
Spring cutback on ume
Last year I tried a variation on my normal spring cutback for ume. Instead of reducing mid-sized branches to 2-3 leaves, I left them long but defoliated them (see “Cutback” for details). I found that the defoliated branches leafed out but they didn’t regain their vigor. As you can see from the photo below, the […]