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 […]
Cork Oak
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 […]
Stimulating new buds on cork oak
My recent posts on cork oaks feature trees that were removed from the ground this past winter. The goal for those trees is to simply get healthy and develop strong roots so they can withstand further work next year. The cork oak below was removed from the ground in 2015 – one year earlier. The tree […]
Field grown cork oak update
I recently posted photos of four cork oaks that responded differently to being dug up and planted in containers. One weathered the transition well, two immediately lost their leaves, and the fourth showed few signs of life. Just three weeks later, the trees are looking a lot better. Here’s the first tree. Cork oak – […]