Bonsai Today

Online magazine for Bonsai lovers

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Styling

Yamadori giant

The late Serge Clémence was a real bonsai Master, who mainly worked on yamadori trees. His bonsai, all dug up by himself and carried on his back down the mountainside, have become iconic works. ..

Interview

An emotional experience

I began with bonsai about 15 years ago, but soon the commercial, industrially manufactured pots no longer related to my ideas.

Tree guide

Euonymus

These shrubs and small trees, known as spindles, grow on all continents except South  America and Africa.

Report

Survivor

Bonsai or trees marked by time and climate tell a story, says Lydie Carpentier.

Profile

A life saver

The bonsai passion of Dennis Fuchs

Shohin

Strapped tight

How to fix a black pine that is rather too dull…

Fundamentals

The apex

Our scrutiny of the essential rules of bonsai concludes by taking a look at the apex, or summit (Atama). It is also one of the significant points of the tree.

Fundamentals

The branches

In a bonsai the two most significant areas are the roots and the trunk. But what about the branches, or eda as they called in Japanese?

Fundamentals

The trunk

The second essential element in bonsai is the trunk, or Kokejun. A trunk should taper to the top and it also determines the movement of the tree.

Fundamentals

The roots

Learn the rules of bonsai and they will always be retained to guide you in whatever task that you wish to perform. To help you understand we’re going to scrutinise a bonsai starting from the root base, moving up to the trunk, the branches and finally the top..

Fundamentals

The choice

How to choose a plant suitable for creating a Bonsai.

Pots

Fire in the cave

A visit to the Ooshio Shoujin Kiln, Nara, Japan.

Tools

Shiny blades II

Three tools that have a similar appearance: concave cutters, root cutters and trunk splitters. The major difference…

Tools

Shiny blades

How to maintain your precious tools because, just like our bonsai, the tools also need tender care…

Suiseki

Just imagine

A suiseki, or viewing stone, often seems to resemble a mountain range…

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.

Technique

Trachelospermum asiaticum

How to create bonsai from cuttings, grafting and other methods using interesting and unusual species…

Tree guide

Satsuki Azalea

Members of the huge Rhododendron family are the most flamboyant of flowering shrubs, producing masses of bright flowers in late spring.

Tree guide

Pinus Nigra

Austrian pines make great bonsai; their rugged bark and dark green needles give them a special character.

Tree guide

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

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

Tree guide

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

Tree guide

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