One of the first cork oaks I started working on has developed quickly. I let a couple of sacrifice branches grow freely and they have now adequately thickened the branch that will become the new leader. It’s time to make a big cut. Field grown cork oak The decision to cut has also been influenced […]
Cork Oak
Initial work on a cork oak bonsai
I recently picked up a field grown cork oak with some nice movement in the trunk. There are, however, few usable branches at this point. Field grown cork oak As I’d like to encourage new branches to grow from the trunk, I cut back the existing branches to small side shoots. After cutback Most of […]
Refining a large cork oak
I’ve really enjoyed working on cork oak bonsai this year. The bark can be beautiful and the variety grows quickly where I live. This fall, I contributed to an article published in the current issue of Bonsai: Journal of the American Bonsai Society that focuses on oaks. One of the trees I wrote about is a […]
Rapid recovery – developing a cork oak bonsai
I have yet to find a bonsai variety that develops as quickly in my backyard as cork oak. The cork oak below was dug from a nearby nursery at the beginning of 2016. Unlike the other oaks that were dug the same day, this one promptly lost all of its leaves and showed few signs of […]
Developing a young cork oak bonsai
Last year I did some initial cutback and wiring on a cork oak that was one year out of the ground (see “Stimulating new buds on cork oak” for details). The tree has grown well over the past year and is now ready for another cutback. Cork oak The part of the tree I’m most […]