At this time of year a lot of azaleas and camellias have or will be finishing their flowering period. It is important that if you want to have them for bonsais, there are a few things that you must do straight after they flower. Cut off all the old dead flowers and seed pods. Trim […]
An elm that has greatly benefited from GoGo Juice. March 2018 – Well, the lower trunk was nice, and I thought the lower left branch would be the new apex. However, it thought differently and died, the little devil. I stripped the bark off the jin but obviously left a remnant because I have a
As bonsai practitioners, we are always thinking about the past, present, and future aspects of our trees and the environments in which they live and grow. We constantly plan and prepare for the next step in the wonderful journey of bonsai and penjing. One preparation that can be completed any time of the year and
With boarders opened at last, there has been the opportunity to see interstate bonsai artists demonstrate again, even if there’s a bit of travel involved. Jarryd Bailey, from Montane Bonsai in Tasmania, has been a visiting demonstrator at both Bonsai Reshaped at the NBPCA and the Central Coast Bonsai Club. Jarryd is passionate about native
ACCENT PLANTS I prefer small trees, mini, shohin with a few medium… arthritis in my hands… scourge of ageing. I enjoy creating beautiful trees with these sizes but the downside is having small enough accent plants. I have started collecting succulents. They like the warm spot on my hot water heater, the ones that prefer
When jade is taken as cuttings, it’s very important to remember that you are dealing with a succulent. If the base of the cutting is not allowed to dry out for a few days the inner wood can rot out before roots emerge. This usually results in either total loss of the cutting or damage
Melaleuca linarifolia ‘Claret Tops’ is a beautiful Australian native that is easy to develop and brightens your bonsai bench with the new claret tipped foliage. Pruning is a delight due to the aroma of the leaves. It’s a great tree for bonsai…. as are so many natives. March 2017, I picked the stock plant up
When repotting a clerendendron I noted a prominent nebari root growing across the trunk of the tree. It wasn’t really unsightly but it was disrupting the line of the trunk and with more years and a thicker development it would become an eyesore. It has nice movement but it detracts from the trunk and this
This is a trident maple, about 30 cm tall, with a lot of potential and coming along very well but the widespread roots are not attractive and diminish the quality of the tree. I accepted this for several years (when I should have done something about it straightaway) but eventually could not ignore the need
Are we missing a cheap bonsai aid by throwing out the plastic tabs that seal the bread bags? They are easy to clip around a small branch and can help keep track of certain tasks without having a plastic marker in the soil. R-10/19 repotted October 2019 W-10/19 wired October 2019 S- 10/19 Sprayed October
