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Spruce bonsai are beautiful at any time of year, but in the spring they brighten with masses of light green buds. Here is an Engelmann Spruce that illustrates why we pinch these buds in spring.

The 2025 BCI (Fengyan, China) Stone Appreciation Exhibition and 3rd Anhui Province Fine Penjing Invitational Exhibition is being held on April 24-25, 2025 in Fengyan, China. Having been credited with the concept of training dwarfed potted trees, China introduced the art to the world. The Japanese quickly adapted this art form and developed the art of bonsai using Japanese aesthetics and taste.

Spring is running fast forward, and it looks like the bonsai will receive some warmth and sunny weather the next week. This speed up the growth and the need of paying attention on watering. If a tree lacks water or is overwatered it can damage the roots and set the tree back in development. Therefore water is extremely important to master, so the trees get the optimal conditions. Water is as important for the tree as the right amount of light. Neglecting watering the trees individually, taking into account the soil, the weather or the exact species will risk slowing down the growth and in worse cases risk the life of the tree.

APRIL 16, 2025!!

Last summer I started an ground layer on a small olive (see “Shohin olive ground layer” for details). The lower part of the trunk was unattractive so I figured layering the upper part of the trunk would be a great way to make the most of the material.

A few months ago I reacquainted with a friend from college that I’d not spoken with in a couple decades, and we had one of those far-ranging 90-minute chats that didn’t come close to closing the gap.

Mature Trees:
Young Material:
 
Mature Trees:

I’m writing on a Tuesday this week as the release date for The Essential Bonsai Book has arrived!

To help see asymmetrical planting position in repotting, use a chopstick to find the center of mass for the lower trunk and nebari. The chopstick shows more easily where it is, right or left, in the pot. Then adjust placement. This placement is good for a right flow tree. 

When I found out I was going to Atlanta, I immediately made plans to visit Kenji Miyata’s garden. Kenji is a Japanese-trained bonsai professional who spent the majority of his career in the US, first in California, and now in Georgia. Kenji studied with Yasuo Mitsuya (Boon’s first teacher in Japan) where he learned black pine care and became known as one of the top professionals working with cryptomeria.