A friend brought a healthy California juniper to a Bay Island Bonsai workshop last weekend. I don’t think I’d ever seen such a healthy specimen. Healthy California juniper Junipers tell you when they’re ready for wiring and cutback – the shoots at the ends of branches elongate. The most vigorous shoot Although I’ve seen plenty […]
juniper
An old procumbens juniper
One of the trees that caught my attention at Yamato’s 42nd annual exhibit was an old procumbens juniper. Procumbens juniper I haven’t seen a lot of other trees like it. The trunk is mostly straight and the branches are long. The apex is rounded, and the density of foliage is very even. It’s a striking […]
Johnny’s juniper
One of the trees at Yamato’s recent exhibit was familiar to me. I’d seen it, a sierra juniper, developed since the early 2000s and displayed along the way at local shows. While I don’t have a great photo history of the tree, I do have a couple of shots from a few years back to […]
Refining a procumbens juniper
This past winter I bought a juniper, procumbens ‘Nana,’ that was already well established as a bonsai. I repotted it soon after taking it home and have been letting it grow freely ever since. I removed about half of the old soil when I repotted, but until I remove the rest, I won’t expect the […]
Thinning procumbens juniper
Thinning procumbens juniper is straightforward. Remove downward-growing shoots, shoots that emerge from branch intersections and shoots that extend beyond the desired pad silhouette. Thin remaining shoots to facilitate wiring. Procumbens juniper – before thinning Before thinning – below Removing a downward-growing shoot After thinning After thinning – below Branch pad after thinning
