Euonymus
These shrubs and small trees, known as spindles, grow on all continents except South America and Africa.
28 October 2023
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Tree guide
Pinus sylvestris
In the wild, a Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) matures naturally into the same style as a bonsai literati with branches spreading horizontally below its flattened apex.
22 June 2023
Trachelospermum asiaticum
How to create bonsai from cuttings, grafting and other methods using interesting and unusual species…
31 March 2023
Satsuki Azalea
Members of the huge Rhododendron family are the most flamboyant of flowering shrubs, producing masses of bright flowers in late spring.
6 November 2022
Pinus Nigra
Austrian pines make great bonsai; their rugged bark and dark green needles give them a special character.
4 July 2022
Quercus suber
The Sardinian coastline consists of numerous small beaches embeddedin outstretched tongues of land. No wonder this Italian island is so popular among the tourists. But if you can make the effort to travel inland you will soon discover its majestic scenery and breathtaking vegetation. Using two examples, Salvatore Liporace will
13 May 2021
Conocarpus
Mike Lane’s story of a buttonwood and his best ever decision. Sixty Seconds. This was all the time I needed to make what would be the most important decision of my life. I had been working for several years in finance, pursuing a career in the stock market, when during
19 March 2021
Melaleuca
Western Australia, a diverse landscape with unique bonsai flora For many years the iconic trees native to Australia were not considered suitable for bonsai, but over time with increased knowledge, understanding, research and a bit of trial and error, several unique Australian species are increasingly being sought after as bonsai
7 January 2021
Portulacaria afra
Styling and caring for Portulacaria afra Jerome Kellerhals’ bonsai garden is in sunny Florida, where he mainly works on semi-tropicals. Here he is going to talk of styling and caring for Portulacaria afra, known as dwarf jade, or elephant bush because of its African origin.The dwarf jade is a small-leaf,
11 December 2020
Adenium
Jerome Kellerhals’ bonsai garden is in sunny Florida, where he mainly works on semi-tropicals. The Ademium, or desert rose, is one of his favourites and, surprisingly, has much to offer as material for bonsai. I am going to talk about the styling and caring of Adenium. It contains about 12
1 November 2020
Actinidia chinensis (Kiwi)
How to create bonsai from cuttings, grafting and other methods with interesting and unusual species. This time it’s the Actinidia arguta, or hardy kiwi, a very rapid grower. A large woody plant of the silver vine family, native all over the main island of Japan, Korean Peninsula and China. Grows…...
23 September 2020
Vitex rotundifolia
Jerome Kellerhals has his bonsai garden in sunny Florida, where he mainly works on semi-tropicals. This time he explains the virtues of the Vitex rotundifolia, which has many varieties. The Vitex rotundifolia contains about 60 species, tropical and subtropical. The Vitex featured in this article is the Rotundifolia, the round…...
9 September 2020
Pyrus pyrifolia
How to create bonsai from cuttings, grafting and other methods with interesting and unusual species. With the help of illustrations we will see how to take a piece of material through to completion The pear A large deciduous tree in the pear genus of the Rosaceae family. It is found…...
24 July 2020
Hibiscus
Jerome Kellerhals has his bonsai garden in sunny Florida USA, where he mainly works on semi-tropicals. This time he talks about the many virtues of the sea hibiscus acquired from a special friend. This old-world tropical tree (Hibiscus tiliaceus) is a member of the mallow family. It has heart-shaped leaves
28 June 2020
Larix
This is a tree whose beauty is legendary, yet it suffers from some neglect as bonsai. There are many species of larch to choose from and available in Europe are Larix decidua, the European larch; L. kaempferi, syn. L. leptolepis, the Japanese larch and L. Eurolepis, the Dunkeld larch: a
26 April 2020
Crataegus
An interesting plant that is either a spreading tree or large shrub. The wild tree has white flowers and red fruit. The distribution is vast spreading from America in the west, through Europe and on to Asia. The Hawthorn has a striking appearance as an old tree and is often
18 April 2020
Pithecellobium
Styling and caring a Brazilian raintree Jerome Kellerhals has his bonsai garden in sunny Florida, where he mainly works on semi-tropicals. Here he talks about a special tree he grew from scratch, the Brazilian raintree. The Chloroleucon tortum, is often referred to as Pithecellobium tortum, commonly known as the Brazilian…...
17 April 2020
Potentilla
Potentilla, a plant that is often overlooked as a ‘serious’ Bonsai because of its shrubby nature. It does however have excellent characteristics for Bonsai, with its interesting bark and fresh yellow flowers. SPECIES Common Name: Cinquefoil Genus: Potentilla Higher Taxon: Rosaceae Species: Fruticosa Skill Level: beginner to advanced Soil Type:
15 April 2020
Pinus parviflora
This is one of the most popular of the Asian pines for bonsai work and garden use. The two species of the white pine commonly seen as imported bonsai in the west are: Pinus Parviflora var. ‘Negishi’, with its very blue leaves and P. Parviflora var. ‘Zuisho’, which has very
15 April 2020
Cotoneaster
Cotoneaster is a familiar plant, which can be found in almost every garden. It has all the plus points: small leaves, tiny flowers and berries, and it grows quite rapidly compared with other species. When the leaves drop in the autumn they colour brightly from yellow to copper red. SPECIES
13 April 2020
Zelkova
JAPANESE ELM Being a rapid and very vigorous grower makes it possible to have quick results with Zelkova. The downside is that the elm can overgrow very quickly and so it needs regular pruning and re-styling to stay in shape. SPECIES Common name: Elm Genus: Zelkova Higher taxon: Ulmaceae Species:
9 April 2020
Buxus sempervirens
Boxwood Its botanic name Buxus comes from the Greek word puksos, meaning ‘dense’, because of its very hard wood, which is second only to ebony as the hardest wood of all. Because of this feature, craftsmen, lathe operators, cabinet makers, sculptors and artists have used it to create masterpieces. Eternity
24 February 2020
Chionanthus retusus
The challenge is to create a finished tree starting from scratch In this series we look at creating bonsai from cuttings, grafting and other methods using interesting and unusual species. With the help of illustrations we see how to take a piece of material through to completion. This time we…...
18 January 2020
Picea glehnii
How to create a twin trunk style tree with a ‘Yatsubusa’ ezo spruce, Picea glehnii ‘Yatsubusa’. In this series we look at creating bonsai from cuttings, grafting and other methods with interesting and unusual species. With the help of illustrations we will see how to take a piece of material
3 January 2020
Acer palmatum
Acer palmatum, the Japanese maple, has a wide distribution and grows at many elevations throughout its native habitat. In cultivation, it is seen everywhere as a garden plant and as bonsai. Under good conditions, the tree grows from about 2.7m to 4.6m in a spreading or rounded, open-tiered shape, depending
2 January 2020
Punica granatum
Nearly Two Decades in the Life of a Pomegranate HISTORICAL PROFILE LONGEVITY & BEAUTY OF THE POMEGRANATE Many bonsai artists avoid pomegranates because of concerns over the longevity of the tree. Contrary to the beliefs of misinformed bonsai practitioners, pomegranates are long-lived; some specimens at Versailles have survived for two
1 November 2019
Malus
Crab apple Malus sieboldii is a member of the apple family, a deciduous tree that can be found growing throughout Japan. Botanically speaking, ‘Miyama Kaido’ is the same, the difference lies in the colour of the fruit, either red or yellow. In the world of bonsai, yellow fruiting trees are
22 March 2019
Ficus
Figs are keystone species in many tropical forest ecosystems. Figs have figured prominently in some human cultures, such as Buddhism, objects of worship and many practical uses. For bonsai they are a great source of material with many style options Majestic appearance Ficus are exceptionally interesting trees. Their appearance grabs
22 February 2019
Cuabilla de Costa
Suriana, or Cuabilla de Costa as it’s known in Cuba, has well-hidden qualities, as Jorge Pensado discovered Jorge: ‘My first step in cultivating bonsai was in 1996. I was self-taught since there was a complete lack of help or advice. I started to collect Suriana two years later when its plentiful…...
9 September 2018