One of the newest trees in my garden is a Jeffrey pine. Jeffrey Pine Jeffrey pines are high-altitude trees native to California. Like the Ponderosa pine, the needles grow in sets of three. Jeffrey pine needle-bundle Unlike Ponderosa pine, which have bright green needles, Jeffrey pine needles are grey-green. Both have interesting bark. Trunk detail […]
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Bonsai Development Series #5: Selecting a new trunk line
One of my fourteen-year-old pines is a lot bigger than the others. Beyond some selective pruning the last few years, I’ve mostly let the tree grow freely. This year, it’s time to select a branch to continue the trunk line. Why this year? After looking at the options for the future front of the tree […]
Bonsai Development Series #4: Removing the sacrifice branch
The basic idea of sacrifice branches is a simple one: develop sacrifice branches in order to thicken the trunk and then remove them when the trunk reaches the desired thickness. The application of this idea is where things can get tricky, so let’s start with a simple example. My goal for the pine below has […]
Where do roots like to grow? A look inside the pot
For as important as roots are to healthy bonsai, we don’t often get a good look at how they grow in the pot. Few containers offer a view at what’s going on inside and we often disturb the roots with sickles or chop sticks when removing trees from their containers. I got a particularly good […]
A quick tip for maintaining Korean hornbeam bonsai
Korean hornbeams typically produce lots of back buds. For the most part, this is a good thing as the prevalence of buds helps hornbeam bonsai develop quickly. Korean hornbeam Not all buds, however, are useful for the design of the tree. Buds emerging from the trunk Hornbeams often produce buds along the trunk, at the […]