Branch Structure

In this first episode of the development of a field grown Cork Bark Elm as a bonsai tree, Terry Erasmus shares what appealed to him about the tree initially and the processes and techniques he employed during the first year of growth in a container environment.

In this post, I guide you through the process which I followed to prepare this Japanese Red Pine bonsai tree I imported from Japan late 2015, for a major restyling. The tree is then wired and styled. Extensive styling notes accompany the many photos so you can easily follow the process.

In this blog post we study a wonderful example of the root over rock style in bonsai. The species used is the Trident Maple which is ideal for this style due to its growing character. Lets take a closer look at this tree and analyze the many features which make this specimen so particularly attractive.

This blog post follows the development of a Cotoneaster bonsai tree from a rooted cutting, developed in the garden and then in a growing pot for only 4 years. In it cover the basics of what to do from the time you dig up the tree till it goes into a refinement pot or container.

Last work of the season on these two Chinese Hackberry originally field grown by Terry Erasmus from seed.

On a recent trip to Japan I visited two specialist nurseries; one that is well known and has won many awards in Japan for their shohin, and the other is a bonsai professional that specialises in Satsuki Azalea.

Trident Maples make superb bonsai subjects and in this post we take a look at a number of wonderful examples I encountered on my March 2016 trip to Japan. Although not so much emphasis in placed on the text this time you can learn much from simply looking at the pictures.