In lieu of a regular post this week, I wanted to share an image of a wisteria in bloom. Caroline Wisteria – 33″ Sam Bryan did a fantastic job creating this tree that continues to produce flowers and refined branching every year. (If you’re curious about how the tree is trained, see “Developing branches on […]
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Four-year progression: making a shimpaku juniper from graft
In spring of 2018, I picked up a prostrata juniper from Kenji Miyata. The branches were long and the foliage was course but I liked the curves in the lower trunk. It was a perfect candidate for grafting. I made one graft using itoigawa shimpaku foliage and spent the next three years reducing the original […]
How to host a virtual bonsai presentation
Before heading out for a brief winter break (new posts will resume January 5th), I wanted to share some tips on hosting virtual bonsai presentations. If your club is familiar with the format, you know the good and bad of it. On the plus side, online presentations: Give all participants “front row seats” for demonstrations […]
Spring cutback on Chinese quince
Last December, I decided to take a big step to improve the branch structure on a Chinese quince. I cut off most of the branches. The tree was fairly ramified, but the size and arrangement of the branches didn’t convey the gnarly character that I associate with quince bonsai. The remedy, although severe, is the […]