Spotted in the Wild
Historical Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and RSS posts previously curated by the club (2017–present). Not authored by the club — preserved here since the original source feeds no longer carry this history.
Three reasons to start growing red maples
I’ve only recently started caring for a red maple, Acer rubrum , but I’ve already been impressed by its charms. If you’re looking for a U.S. native deciduous species to experiment with, the red maple is a good place to…
Fall cutback on an informal upright hornbeam
When I sat down to work on the hornbeam below, I thought about how the tree was created. The branches have a contorted appearance – so much so that I wondered if this is a contorted cultivar. Informal upright hornbeam…
50th Anniversary Bonsai Exhibition
Suruga Branch of Nippon Bonsai Association I feel sad and disappointed that the 40 th Nippon Bonsai Taikan Exhibition in Kyoto, Japan was cancelled. Even more so because most foreigners are not allowed into Japan at…
Huckleberry Flower Buds Are Setting
Big branches and little branches on Chinese quince
Over the past few years I’ve wrestled with a question about developing Chinese quince: how do you encourage branches to bifurcate after pruning? I haven’t come up with an answer, but I did notice something heartening…
Options for addressing dieback low on the trunk
As many of you have noticed, there is a large scar at the base of the trunk on my large stewartia. Stewartia with dieback on the trunk Trunk detail There a number of options for addressing the dieback, each with their…
Fall cutback and wiring on stewartia
For the last few years I’ve but cutting back an old stewartia when the leaves turn brown in fall. The work is similar from year to year – a common occurrence for trees in the later stages of branch refinement (see “…
Dwarf pussy willow bonsai
If you’re looking for a new species develop as small bonsai, dwarf pussy willow may be a good option. Procumbent, small leaved varieties grow slowly but are easy to work with. The charm of the trees are the catkins they…
Dogwood Fall Work
Juniper design Q&A – identifying next steps on a Sierra juniper
I received some good questions following the previous post about a Sierra juniper. Why aren’t you planning to keep foliage on the upper branches? Why did you decide to graft and where are the grafts? How did you decide…
Sierra juniper – first steps
A few years ago, I acquired a tall Sierra juniper with interesting deadwood along the lower trunk. I repotted the tree and let it grow freely to encourage as much root growth as possible. The tree is now full and…
Review: Bonsai Heresy by Michael Hagedorn
I first heard about the idea for Michael Hagedorn’s recent book, Bonsai Heresy , over ten years ago. Hagedorn explained that he had started collecting, and debunking, unproductive myths in the bonsai world. I couldn’t…
A simple test to evaluate the integration of foliage and deadwood
When I see trees with prominent deadwood, I take note of where the foliage sits in relation to it. Over the years I’ve found that I prefer designs that make it impossible to separate the foliage from the deadwood with a…
Crape Myrtle Fall Fun
Securing a tree without repotting
I started to de-wire a grafted California juniper yesterday when I realized the tree was loose in the pot. The culprit was a loose tie-down wire. Grafted California juniper – 25″ Loose tie-down wire There are a number…
New guide: Winter care for bonsai
Thanks entirely to reader contributions, I’ve published a guide to caring for bonsai in winter. Early snowfall (photo courtesy Jeff in Minnesota) Topics include: Tropical bonsai winter care Plant hardiness Preparing…
Silverberry Bonsai
Bunjin black pines from seed
A few years ago I came across some tall and slender black pines that made a good starting point for creating literati style bonsai (see examples at “ Decandling young bunjin pines “). The trees were the result of…
Fall flowers on satsuki azaleas
I’ve found that a number of satsuki azaleas in my garden have bloomed this fall. It’s normal for satsuki to produce a few flowers this time of year, and occasionally trees are covered with them. When this happens, I…
What to do if your trees think it’s spring
One of my trees seems to have skipped fall – and winter – and is now acting like it’s spring. New leaves emerging on a Japanese plum ( Prunus salicina ) Over summer, this tree suffered from a fungus that attacked the…
How Big Is That Crape, Really? And The Iris Spreads
Timing for fall pruning when the weather is still warm
As I walked through the garden yesterday, I didn’t see many signs of fall. Here, for example, is a chojubai I repotted in August producing new shoots above and new roots below. New growth on dwarf Japanese flowering…
Big Cedar Elm Update
Advice wanted: how to overwinter bonsai in cold climates
My recent visit to see the junipers near Carson Pass, California, reminded me of the last time I saw these trees in October (see “ Sierra junipers in the snow ” for details). The trees had just been covered in snow and…