I had the good fortune to walk up Mt. Whitney earlier this month. On the way back down I passed through one of the few stands of Foxtail pines in the world. Foxtail pine (Pinus balfouriana subsp. austrina) is a beautiful variety of white or five-needle pine that grows near treeline in the Sierra Nevada […]
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Restoring a white pine
For the first time in a long time I did something special – I bought a new tree. I’ve had my eye on this white pine for maybe 8 years. I first saw after it had been purchased by a Bay Island Bonsai member. For a number of years the tree did well until its […]
Summer ritual – decandling black pine
Japanese black pine bonsai entails a set of refining techniques known as decandling. At its most simple, it refers to the process of removing spring growth to encourage summer growth. At its most complex it involves more variables than I can address in a single post. Regardless the approach, the goals remain the same – […]
Pinyon pines
Last weekend Konnor Jenson and I visited Moab, Utah, to scout for junipers. As both of us have a deep appreciation for pines, we found – to no one’s surprise – pines! Pinyon pines have a number of characteristics that are great for bonsai. The needles are small, the branches are nimble, and when grown […]
Shohin black pine from scratch
This is the one black pine I’ve started to date that will end up shohin sized. The bottom branches are off to a good start – the rest of the tree has a ways to go. I actually was planning on moving the tree along two years ago. I cut off most of the roots […]