Masahiko Kimura rearranges the foliage around a dancing shari Exploring the artistic sensitivity of Mr Kimura, we take a look at the material he will work on. The transformation is not tremendously dramatic, however the...

Masahiko Kimura rearranges the foliage around a dancing shari Exploring the artistic sensitivity of Mr Kimura, we take a look at the material he will work on. The transformation is not tremendously dramatic, however the...
A practical case study of trident maple by Andrea Meriggioli Andrea: I want to show you how correct timing and techniques may turn initially poor material into a good tree you can work on over...
François Jeker styles a venerable 500-year-old Buxus ‘When about to style an impressive old Buxus like this, you are so intimidated that you approach it with trembling hands . . . Over the years, though,...
Alexsandre Escudero works on a tiny Itoigawa juniper An average juniper can be changed into something interesting, you just need to have a vision and opt for doing something different to make it less regular....
It is a deciduous tree of the Fagaceae family and grows naturally in the mountains of various parts of Japan, also on the coastline on the side of the Sea of Japan. The oak’s local...
When we acquire plants or young tree material, we plant them in pots to let them develop further to allow them to adjust to growing conditions at home. But what do we do when we...
How to pollinate flowering bonsai Under the guidance of Hiroki Miura, Japanese popstar Ayaka Yamamoto tries her luck with fruiting fruit-bearing trees. The fruit of a tree is not always produced when it flowers. If...
Maintenance work on a mountain cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) During summer you need to deal with the dead leaves formed inside the branches of this very dense-growing conifer. They are removed to prevent ‘stuffiness’. This is...
François Jeker looks back on 19 years' evolution of his mugo pine.
Shigeo Ebihara’s unbelievable method of trunk shortening This operation on an old maple took more than four and a half years to complete. The tree has one major fault that is impossible to solve using...
Nacho Marín works on a tree giving both power and delicacy This tree variety with its special forms shaped by nature and the large amount of deadwood juxtaposing with its delicate foliage, has been Nacho’s...
A greenhouse with only saikei forest and rock landscapes Saikai is an interpretation of landscapes in miniature. Master gardener Karl-Härtl and his son Florian create this art form with native shrubs and perennials. At their...
Martin Nielsen divides a Japanese maple into two new trees Martin describes his work with a Japanese maple where one tree becomes two. It’s a tree with a fine nebari grown from a seed in...
The virtues of the fast-growing Potentilla
Bjorn Bjorholm works on a pine grown from seed Bjorn gives an initial styling to a more than 50-year-old pine, grown from seed. This classic informal upright bonsai has a long and much told history...
Master Oota is the expert on grafting new branches on junipers From grafting branches to finishing a tree and his selection of famous needle junipers, these are trees that have been created by Nobuharu Oota...
Jan Culek copes with a tree that is almost impossible to style The pine Jan has chosen to work on (Pinus sylvestris) hasn’t the most ideal branch setting and trunk shape. It is a clump...
How to create bonsai from cuttings, grafting and other methods using interesting and unusual species. With the help of illustrations we will see how to take a piece of material through to completion. Here we...
From moyogi to kengai, Martin Nielsen can’t wait to try I got this tree some years ago from one of my old bonsai friends, Kurt Andersen. It’s a locally native tree, Juniperus communis of approximately...
Bartosz Warwas takes a garden centre Juniperus squamata to the big bonsai show This juniper will probably forever remain the least valuable, yet most important tree in my collection. You probably can guess why it’s...
Mike Lane gives an in-depth look at the venerable Sea Hibiscus An unassuming bonsai subject at first glance, the sea hibiscus appears to lack any of the desirable traits we pursue when looking for good...
Yukio Hirose creates the windswept style from a juniper Hirose Yukio is a shohin expert who shows you here how to create from simple material, a tree shaped by the wind The material that Yukio...
A rare Satsuki azalea is restyled
A very bushy juniper for Mauro Stemberger to style It was January 2020 when I arrived at the small city of Marostica at the foot of the Italian Alps for a demo with Mauro Stemberger....
Douglas fir is flexible and has amazing small needles Seen less often, the Douglas fir has real potential for bonsai. Dominique Bosch discovers the virtues step by step. A fir that is not a fir...
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...
Bartoz Warwas knows that a good plan is the key to bonsai success Before Bartoz explains his timetable for planning the development of bonsai, he will tell you the story of a European hornbeam that...
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...
The challenge is to create a finished tree starting from scratch How to create bonsai from cuttings, grafting and other methods using interesting and unusual species. With the help of illustrations we will see how...
How a stump became an elegant chokkan-style bonsai Martin Nielsen tells the story of how he managed to convert the stump he dug from the forest into one of most appreciated native trees exhibited at...