Bonsai Society of Australia Inc.

Home / Helpful Hint

Leptospermum For Bonsai

Leptospermum is a genus of flowering plants in the myrtle family (Myrtaceae), mainly native to Australia and New Zealand. These plants, commonly known as tea trees or manuka, are small evergreen shrubs or trees, typically 2-5 metres tall. Leptospermum are […]

Read More

Leptospermum Wiri Athena: Lee Wright

October 2021 I saw this tree at Flower Power and fell in love with the beautiful flowers. The trunk had nice movement and the price was reasonable, so it joined my collection as an apprentice bonsai.   I have had […]

Read More

Summer Heat: Hugh Grant

Observations When Summer Watering Heat and water are the themes of this time of year! As we enter the heartlands of summer, watering requirements get a little wonky. Water drives a few things within a tree’s system. 1. Cooling – […]

Read More

Lantana Madness by Lee Wright

I gave up on roses as too much like hard work and insufficient flowering. I bought 8 lantana ‘Chelsea Gold’ and planted them in the front yard. Easy Peasy. No special care, they flower nine months of the year, in […]

Read More

Working The Nebari by Andrew Edge

I’ve had this Ficus macrophylla (the Moreton Bay fig) for twenty years, inheriting it when I bought the property and nursery, Bibo Bonsai, in Peats Ridge. For many years it has been kept alive and just moved with me when […]

Read More

Workshop Notes

This is a great time to bring tropical species such as figs to work on. Root pruning and styling are both possible, so make sure you bring everything you’ll need if you want to spend your evening developing your figs. […]

Read More

Notes From ‘sharing Our Learnings” On Eucalyptus

The Victorian Native Bonsai Club hosted the 10th Symposium of Australian Native Plants as Bonsai in Melbourne at the end of August. The two day native infusion was well planned, superbly delivered and the delegates got a lot of facts […]

Read More

Native Forest Plantings

Marcela Ferreira does not like traditional forest plantings which are usually very formulaic. She finds them ‘anally retentive’ and boring. They don’t evoke anything in her mind. Marcela stressed that the bonsai artist needs to find their own voice in […]

Read More

What Is Zeolite and Why Add It to Your Bonsai Mix

I was introduced to Zeolite and Enfield Produce in Sydney by a bonsai mentor Rob Clausen and have been using 2-4mm Zeolite at about a 10% additive for about 30 years. As a relatively inexpensive mineral additive it attracts and […]

Read More

Crafting Raft Bonsai: Top Techniques and Plant Choices

In bonsai, a raft is one trunk along the ground supporting a number of ‘branches’ that have become trunks in their own right. Rafts come in straight and sinuous and are usually developed when a stock plant has branches on […]

Read More