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soil mix
The big picture
Follow Martin Nielsen as he takes a simple tree to a bonsai with character It’s a quite an ordinary tree, a locally collected larch of around 70 cm in height, with a trunk thickness of about 5 cm. It is a tree with many possibilities, but with, perhaps, even bigger…...
Repot, or not?
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 need to repot outside the dormant period, or if we see that our tree is…...
Can it grow upside down?
To get the best results Masahiko Kimura flips a juniper upside down Just turn it upside down, a brilliant idea, which for many would be an impossible option; not so for Masahiko Kimura Another upside down tree, but this is quite different. When we were in the garden of Mr…...
The firethorn
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 to take a piece of material through to completion. Here we are making a twin…...
The Quebecan pearl
The story of Linda’s favourite bonsai from the wild – both good and sad. Living in the Canadian city of Laval, Quebec, Linda Chicoine often goes on hiking tours to see if there is a good tree waiting to be discovered. This is my story about the transformation of a…...
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…...
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…...
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…...
Can it be opened ?
Untangling the dense foliage canopy of a sabina juniper Valentin Brose, former apprentice of Kunio Kobayashi, is a refined artist. The sabina juniper has such a dense canopy that all is hidden away from the eye. Valentin knows what is needed to open it up and show off its qualities…...
French curves
With almost two branches only, Mauro Stembergercreates one of his best pines Mauro Stemberger’s very full agenda allowed just a tiny opening to work on one of his favourite trees, so he teamed up with his best students to create another stunning bonsai. As Mauro explains: ‘This time I am…...
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
Prisoner of time
The development of a Buxus sempervirens According to Marco Giannini trees develop into bonsai via a careful balance of technique and time. Respect for the original habitat where the tree once lived will make it look natural and give it even more tranquillity. First, I am going to tell you…...
What’s under the soil?
Repotting your bonsai is rather like a health check The trees of Hiroshi Takeyama, the head of Fuyo-en bonsai nursery, have a distinctive character and elegance. He is renowned for his conscientious and thorough work, particularly with repotting, and is considered to be one of the most skilled at developing…...
The wild one
Wild olive trees provides one of most ideal materials for bonsai Marcial Yuste Blasco, who runs a bonsai school in Spain, prefers to work on material from the wild. For Marcial, it possesses the characteristics needed to create fine bonsai and the olive has all the qualities that he favours…....
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
The Edo cherry
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 from interesting and unusual species. With the help of illustrations we see how to take a piece of material through to completion. Common in the…...
Purple rain
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 will see how to take a piece of material through to completion. Wisteria is…...
Quite unlike a fairy tale
Hornbeam is an exciting tree for bonsai. Marija Hajdic: ‘About ten years ago, oriental hornbeam was an unknown species of bonsai. Here, I present the development of one of the best of its kind, a very imposing hornbeam called ‘The Emperor’. Quite unlike Andersen’s fairy tale, the Emperor here, has…...
Yew can do it
A simple yew can be made into a stunning small bonsai in just a few steps. Michael Tran of Minoru bonsai guides you step by step in how to create a bonsai from a yew. Yews are a very robust and a great species for bonsai. Their hard wood makes…...
Thuja
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 will see how to take a piece of material through to completion. Oriental Thuja…...
The little gem
Reworking a small juniper Alexandre Escudero is crazy about shohin bonsai. At the nursery of his teacher Hiroyuki Tanibata, he found a little gem of a juniper. Let’s together find the beauty lost on this Juniperus itoigawa and discover step-by-step how to rework a shohin-sized tree. I bought this Juniperus…...
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