Spotted in the Wild

Wisteria Bonsai

Last week I participated in GardenScape 2020, Rochester’s premier garden show. We forced many Azaleas, Pears, Cherries and two Wisteria to blossom in March, rather than in May. The two Wisteria bonsai woke up and the…

Bonsai at GardenScape 2020

GardenScape 2020 is the annual garden show in Rochester, New York, which runs from March 12-15, 2020. It is held at The Dome in Henrietta, New York, a suburb of Rochester only five miles from my garden. Landscape…

Bonsai Development Series #22: cutback-decandling techniques for young pines

Developing refined growth while maintaining sacrifice branches can be a tricky balancing act. If the sacrifice branches are reduced, the future branches become strong. If sacrifice branches grow freely, the future…

Cryptomeria – seven year update and first wiring

Back in 2011, I started an air layer on a large cryptomeria. Two years later, I removed the layer and the tree was off to a new start as a bonsai (see “ Large cryptomeria air layer part 1 ” and “ Part 2 ” for details).…

The right way and wrong way to make major cuts on young maples

When I saw the young maples growing in Kazuo Onuma’s garden, I immediately wanted to give his techniques a try (see “ Onuma’s mini-bonsai growing techniques ” for details). I picked up some bare-root liners – young…

Bonsai Development Series #21: The effect of removing a sacrifice branch

Earlier this summer, I pruned and defoliated two field grown trident maples. I reduced all of the branches on one of the trees, and left a sacrifice branch on the other. Both trees have grown vigorously since they were…

Just in time for fall – pumpkin galls

I’ve been curious about the small, round bumps that develop on the leaves of California live oaks for a while now. Some years I don’t see any, but most years a few show up toward the end of summer. Flattened round ball…

Wiring tip: how to prevent branches from splitting away from the trunk

It might just be me, but I’ve found that it can be easy for wired branches to split away from the trunk during branch setting. This is more of an issue for deciduous trees than for conifers, but it can happen to all…

Finding the right hormone levels for making seedling-cuttings

Five years ago I posted the results from an experiment that measured the effectiveness of different approaches to rooting seedling-cuttings (see “ Effect of hormone treatments ” for details). The study had been on my…

Insights from using a chemical injector to acidify the water for one year

Last summer, I wrote two posts about the connection between water pH and bonsai health (see “ Effect of fertilizer on pH ” and “ How to lower pH ” for details). In light of the recent high temperatures across much of…

Diagnosing spots and twig dieback on a Japanese plum

Somewhere in the mid-1950s, my grandfather, Leo Dupuich, acquired a number of bonsai from a local landscaper and bonsai enthusiast named Jim Miyasaki. When my teenage father saw the trees, one stuck out to him – a…

Cutback on a white chojubai quince

I usually hold off on pruning deciduous bonsai past the first half of August. Not all trees can grow well enough late in the season to make it worth investing in new shoots before fall. That said, I’ve worked on…

Checking In On A Few Trees – Pocomoke Crape, Trumpet Vine, Privet

Rulebreaking 101 – Crape Myrtle

Bonsai Odds & Ends – Fall Arrives

Roughleaf Dogwood Ugly Duckling Update

A Big Huckleberry Gets Styled

Bonsai Odds & Ends – Trumpet Vine, Yaupon, Spekboom

Time To Overpot A Spekboom – Again

Bald Cypress Fun In 2021

Privet Progression – A Fast Year

Chinese Elm Forest Fun

Bonsai Odds & Ends – Elm, Maple, Hawthorn

Field-growing satsuki azaleas at Takahashi Engei

My recent trip to Japan included some satsuki sightseeing at Takahashi Engei – a large azalea grower in Kanuma City. Kazuhiro Takahashi showed us around his growing fields which gave us a good look at the stages azaleas…