One of my favorite Sierra junipers doesn’t fit neatly into any categories. It’s form is somewhere between informal upright and semi-cascade. The base of the trunk is massive, but the apical foliage extends from a slender, twisting branch. I can’t say I’ve figured the tree out, but I enjoy trying. Ancient Sierra juniper The tree […]
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A very twisty Sierra juniper
I had a chance this week to visit some of my favorite Sierra junipers. The best known of these trees is pictured below. A very twisty Sierra juniper The tree is compact and twisty, revealing different characteristics when viewed from different angles. From the east, the trunk appears massive and relatively straight. A single, sinuous […]
Spring maintenance on black pine – pulling needles and decandling
I’ve been working on the black pine below for twenty years. Every year, near the end of May or the beginning of June, I remove the spring growth and reduce the number of old needles. Japanese black pine I typically begin the work by removing the spring shoots (decandling) before reducing the number needles on […]
Spring maintenance for a refined Korean hornbeam
After fifteen years of branch development, my Korean hornbeam has slowed down considerably. When I started working on the branches, I’d often see new shoots with ten-to-twenty new leaves all over the tree. Now I can expect between two-to-five new leaves on all but the strongest branches. Korean hornbeam This slowed growth rate simplifies spring […]
Bonsai on display at Sei Boku Bonsai Kai’s 36th annual exhibit
Last weekend the Sei Boku Bonsai Kai held their 36th annual exhibit at the San Mateo Garden Center in San Mateo, California. By hosting the show on the first weekend of June, Sei Boku gives members the opportunity to display trees with flowers, with fruit, and with plenty of new growth. Azalea Eleagnus Coast redwood […]