I was so disappointed in missing out on the Earth and Fire Pot Sale, cancelled due to the lockdown, that I immersed my sorrow in checking out plants at the Rockdale Community Nursery. A row of $40 Leptospermum ‘Pink Cascade’ caught my eye as some had interesting and thicker trunks. My first subject became my […]
Working on a neglected maple forest last week reminded me of Lee Wright’s warning about mondo grass in a previous newsletter. The under-plantings in this setting were totally overgrown and needed radical thinning or removal. Military grass, violets, miniature ivy and even Lonicera willingly vacated the pot, but not mini mondo grass which stayed firm
If you haven’t already, now is the time to prepare your pine trees for their spring growth. Maintenance now sets the tree up more even candle development in spring through balancing the energy of the tree by directing the energy away from the stronger parts of the tree to the weaker. Pines are apically dominant
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
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
I got this Kunzea ambigua from the native nursery in Heathcote and lost any stying ideas when I looked at it at home. In the end, after cutting away what I didn’t feel I could use I decided to plant it at an acute angle and let it grow a bit. It delighted me with
Apprentice bonsai can be a bit odd with the stylist seeing future growth but others seeing only what their eyes see and doubting any future. This little Kunzea ambigua is a great example. It was obviously older stock at a native nursery and priced at last year’s value. The trunk had some interest and I
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
