Early spring is the start of the repotting season. See our guide for what to do and when to do it.

Early spring is the start of the repotting season. See our guide for what to do and when to do it.
Peter Warren continues with the second major stage of the maple he planted on a plastic tray.
Working with deciduous trees is always a long-term project which needs some clever thinking, too
A different approach to air layering with a 'rough edge'
The pine called 'Okou no kyosho' is brought back into shape by Master Kunio Kobayashi
How to create bonsai from cuttings, grafting and other methods using interesting and unusual species.
Transformation of an Ezo Spruce by Urushibata and Fujikawa
Growing new bonsai material by layering and a bold cut.
Developing a giant gardenia into an orthodox informal upright over three years.
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...
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
What can autumn in deciduous trees tell you about the health of your bonsai? ‘The hidden life of trees’, a book by Peter Wohlleben, has transformed our views of the way trees work. For Harry...
Masayuki Fujikawa transforms boring material into a semi cascade Masayuki Fujikawa: ‘The tree shown here is too big to be considered a chuhin, but the idea is not to make it a chuhin for the...
Using rocks to create a landscape, or as an alternative to a pot. With the guidance of shohin expert, Hiroki Miura (Miura Baijyu-en, Osaka) the Japanese popstar, Ayaka Yamamoto, learns how to create a rock...
How to create foliage pads on the so popular five needle pine, work on its roots and watering It’s needless to say that five needle pine (Pinus parviflora) is a very popular species for bonsai....
How to repot small trees in spring Yukio Hirose (Yamato-en) guides you through the principle techniques of repotting deciduous bonsai. According to Yukio, ‘In spring you have the chance to give the tree fresh new...
The story of an elm found abandoned in a field. Would it survive? Martin Nielsen tells the story of how he created a bonsai from an elm, wondering if he could keep it alive. Then,...
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...
Masahiko Kimura is challenged by a huge yew. In a corner of Masahiko Kimura’s bonsai nursery is a yew planted in the ground. The trunk is slender and of a feminine appearance. The top section...
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...
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 […]
The problem of poor roots on a pine can be solved Can you improve the root base of a pine, just as you can with deciduous trees? A good question, so it seems a good...
The challenge is to create a finished tree starting from scratch How to create bonsai from cuttings, grafting and other methods with interesting and unusual species. With the help of illustrations we will see how...
A dull juniper is matched with a rock full of character A rather dull juniper can become very striking when a rock with lots of character is added, Nishikawa Tomoya (Shirasagi-en, Himeji) shows how that...
Martin Nielsen tells his story of the broom style The broom style or whatever you would like to call it – maybe ‘Hokidachi’, as the Japanese say, even ‘mop top’. It is up to you...
Simple adjustments can make a big difference Kenichi Suzuki (Onari-en) is very much into shohin-size bonsai. With simple material he demonstrates how you can change the design by adjusting the planting angle, or the pot....
Making the most of a bad pine Masayuki Fujikawa brings out the hidden character of a white pine (Pinus parviflora) Looking at the four photos below, there is nothing of note that one feels makes...
Harumi Ishii (Ueharu-En) will guide you through the techniques of creating shohin from hawthorn Material 1: Japanese hawthorn (large tree) All the branches are focused in the top section of the tree and there are...