styling

Maintenance and training of bonsai trees

This blog post was inspired by an article in an old edition of the Bonsai Today magazine. In this post, which I will be adding to over time I will share many tips and suggestions on growing bonsai; how to maintain, style, wire, feed and much more. The topic, written in plain English aided by detailed photographs explains the fundamentals of bonsai in an easy to follow manner.

Development of an English Elm Bonsai

Follow the development of this English Elm bonsai from rooted cutting in a bag, field growing, development and then finally through refinement to exhibition.

Japanese Red Pine Styling

A Japanese red pine imported in 2013, finally get some tender loving care in the form of a proper styling.

Japanese Red Pine bonsai gets a new look

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.

Makeover of a Chinese Elm - Continued

In this post we continue with the development of an old Chinese elm which began a remake in 2009. We pick up from where the first installment ended and show you what the tree looks like now and describe the techniques used.

4 Year Development of a Cotoneaster from bush to bonsai

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.

An Acacia Bonsai gets a radical makeover

An Acacia bonsai brought to me by a customer gets a radical makeover. Radical makeovers or instant bonsai can be fun and challenging. This neglected tree gets a completely new look and some new growing media to jump start it.

chinese hackberry or celtis sinensis gets an autumn cut

Two Chinese Hackberry Bonsai get an Autumn Cut

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

Bonsai Azalea Heaven in Saitama, Japan

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.

Creating the canopy of a bonsai tree

Creating bonsai structure in bonsai is probably one of the most misunderstood yet most written about concepts or ideas. Getting it wrong leads to stylized bonsai which resemble nothing you will find in nature and often leaves the viewer feeling uneasy. Getting it right however produces trees of great beauty and evokes all sort of positive emotions when viewed, especially in winter.

Progression of a Field Grown Chinese Elm over 6 years

Bonsai progressions are always fun to look at. It shows in a few short paragraphs of text and some images, the work and changes a bonsai tree has undergone over a number of years. What makes it fun though is that our art is as much about trees as it is about patience, so seeing all these changes condensed is like pressing fast forward on the remote.

Collected Olive to Pre-Bonsai in 2 Years

The story of a small, collected shohin sized wild olive begins in this post. Collected in 2013, within only 2 years the tree has undergone a dramatic change and it is on it's way to being awarded a bonsai pot for good behaviour. I will share with you how this development was achieved so you too can tell a similar story.

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