Andrew Robson was in town last week to deliver a presentation for the Bonsai Society of San Francisco. For those who don’t know Andrew, he recently wrapped up a three-year apprenticeship with Michael Hagedorn in Portland, Oregon. Andrew working on a dwarf quince Andrew is an incredibly talented bonsai professional with a focus on deciduous […]
Ume
Pot selection exercise – semi-cascade ume
Years ago, my ume bonsai grew upright as an informal upright tree. After losing all but one of the branches several years ago, I decided to change the tree to a semi-cascade style. When it was ready to go back into a bonsai pot, I found I didn’t have any good options for it. The […]
Cutback and wiring on a semi-cascade ume
Mid-May is when I usually begin working on my deciduous bonsai. If a tree has grown well, I’ll reduce the new shoots to 2-4 leaves and wire any branches that need adjusting. An ume in my garden has been growing vigorously this year. It’s time for cutback. Ume It was hard for me to see […]
Fall cutback on ume bonsai
Here’s a brief update on an ume I’ve been working on since losing the top branches. After letting the tree grow freely through the growing season, now’s a good time for some cutback. Before cutback – side A Before cutback – side B The goal at this point is to develop the basic branch structure. […]
Making a big cut on an ume bonsai
I’ve had this ume bonsai for a long time. Several years ago, the tree lost all but a single branch due to fungus. The branch survived, and I’ve been letting the tree grow freely so it can regain some vigor. Now that the tree is strong again, it’s time for some cutback. Semi-cascade ume One […]