Bonsai Today

Online magazine for Bonsai lovers

defoliation

Air layering

Repairing a damaged maple

When leaf pruning a trident maple, mistakes and faults can become more noticeable. A comeback is planned as we go back to square one.


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Autumn

How to improve euonymus

The winged spindle tree charms with its cork bark and deep crimson foliage There are a number of species in the Euonymus family that have been appreciated as bonsai for a number of years. They are shrubs which holds interest with both the colours and fruit of autumn. Additionally, the…...


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Case History

So Immature

Harry Harrington explains the progression of a Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus)


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Summer

Air and light

Andrea Meriggioli shows you how to thin and prune the leaves of Acer palmatum


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Technique

All about the leaves

Harry Harrington shows how to improve ramification in deciduous trees by partial defoliation...


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Case History

The survivor

Harry Harrington rapidly develops a field elm into a bonsai...


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Grafting

Creating shohin from faulty material

Use dull material to make impressive bonsai helped by grafting techniques. Here we show you how easy it can be. Pyracantha is in the Rosaceae family in the subset that contains Crataegus. It provides bright orange berries during the winter, a time lacking in colour. It is a very robust…...


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Shohin

Would you dare?

Chojubai, the dwarf variety of the Japanese quince, is cut in half.


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Grafting

It has to be perfect

Katsushi Miura (Miura Baijyu-en Osaka) shows us a number of grafting techniques for improving material.


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Summer

In the Palmatum of your hand

Leaf reduction helps to protect and to gain more ramification. One important technique to help deciduous trees during the heat of the summer is leaf reduction, or defoliation. This protects the internal branches. Here we look at several techniques that can be used. Partial defoliation and shoot pruning to improve…...


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Shohin

Fine and fiddly

Yukio Hirose guides you through the defoliation and wiring of maples and elms Yukio Hirose: ‘First I will introduce this tree, a trident maple (Acer buergerianum) that is halfway through its development. The reason for entirely defoliating this tree rather than a partial defoliation is to be able to see…...


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Shohin

Seas of Green

An exploration of Premna, one of bonsai’s biggest tropical stars Premna is a genus of tropical and sub-tropical species native to southeast Asia, Africa, and some islands of the Pacific Basin. It is extremely popular for bonsai in countries such as Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, and China. Offering many fine qualities…...


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Shohin

Think ahead

Get the most from your trees by making corrections for the future. Harumi Ishii (Ueharu-en) specialises in shohin of which refinement is a key element, so ugly cuts or disordered branch settings need to be addressed. Using two examples, Mr Ishii shows you here how to cope with these problems…...


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Tree guide

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,…...


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Tree guide

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…...


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Autumn

The last flush…

Harry Harrington sums up the tasks for late summer and early autumn July in the Northern Hemisphere sees the last flushes of growth in most of the broadleaf and deciduous trees. After the vigorous growth of spring months and a pause for midsummer, these last flushes of growth are typically…...


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Tree guide

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…...


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Tree guide

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…...


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Spring

Summer is coming

Late spring (May/June) tasks for native and deciduous bonsai Harry Harrington: ‘May is always a very busy month for bonsai enthusiasts growing deciduous bonsai. After a long winter and early spring of dormancy, our trees explode into growth and it can feel like it is impossible to keep up with…...


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Spring

A date with spring

Spring tasks for native deciduous bonsai Repotting is the primary focus for bonsai enthusiasts during spring. However, there are a number of other tasks, often forgotten, that are worth carrying out at this time of year. The beginning of spring and start of the growing season when deciduous trees come…...


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Yamadori

Betula – Tough to work on

The birch has many virtues, it can prosper in the harshest environments, but as bonsai you need to be a little more patient and gentle to achieve good results. Harry Harrington gives us his hands-on approach on how to grow birch. Betula is a genus of about 60 species of…...


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Spring

Easy elm

Japanese elm is ideal for bonsai and easy to grow 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. Here we…...


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