I’ve set a simple goal for a group of cutting-grown plums: avoid straight growth. The idea is to produce trunks with undulating movement. Each year these plums produce new shoots in spring. I typically wire these shoots in summer and then shorten them in fall. If I find anything straight, I shorten it or wire […]
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Lessons from a visit to a bonsai garden
I had the opportunity to visit Michael Hagedorn’s garden in September. It had been a while since I’d last been there and I was pleased to see so many changes. There were more new trees than I could count and the trees I remember are coming along so quickly that they almost looked new again. […]
How not to propagate princess persimmon
After a long wait, I confirmed this year that my oldest princess persimmon can bear fruit. Young princess persimmon – with fruit! Growing princess persimmon from seed is an inefficient approach as there’s no way to determine whether a seed will produce a male or female plant. As most enthusiasts grow princess persimmon for the […]
Bonsai Development Series #11: Culling trees with poor characteristics
I’d like to say that every pine I start from seed grows into a winner, but that isn’t the case. To avoid investing time in trees with flaws that are difficult to correct, I periodically evaluate all of my bonsai and cull out any that don’t make the cut. Doing this frees up time in […]
GSBF convention exhibit highlights
The Golden State Bonsai Federation held their 41st convention this past weekend at the McClellan Conference Center in McClellan, California. The event featured two exhibits – one for general entries and one for judged trees. Below are some of the trees that were on display at these exhibits. Western juniper – Best in Show Deadwood […]