Creating branch ramification on shohin Japanese maples doesn’t happen quickly. After three years of producing short internodes, the tree is now ready for cutback to improve the silhouette and branch structure. (You can see the progress to date here.) Before I started pruning, I removed the old leaves. Shohin Japanese maple After removing the leaves […]
Bonsai Blog
Search
(Enter search terms and press 'Enter')
Recent Posts
Pot selection exercise – contorted quince
Now that temperatures have cooled a bit, I’ve started repotting. Sometimes I return trees to the pots they were growing in, and other times I select new containers. Here are eight options I considered for a contorted flowering quince. Do you have a favorite? Pot #1 – round Yamaaki Pot #2 – unglazed Japanese Pot […]
New book – The Little Book of Bonsai
This Thanksgiving weekend, I’d like to introduce a project I’ve been working on for the past two years: The Little Book of Bonsai! Cover of The Little Book of Bonsai The book is a beginner’s guide that introduces readers to basic bonsai care and techniques. It’s being published by the amazing people at Ten Speed […]
Five patterns for pulling needles on black pine
When thinning needles on black or red pine, I treat branches differently based on my goals for refining them. I typically want weak branches to grow stronger and strong branches to slow down, but there are cases in which I take a different approach. Here are the five most common patterns I follow and notes […]
An idea for a bonsai show
I’d like to host a bonsai show in November, 2021. You’re all invited. For the past few years, Eric Schrader and I have been thinking about how much fun it would be to attend an exhibit that shows off some of the best trees in Northern California. Earlier this month, we set a goal to […]