The pine below is several years out of the ground and is showing signs of becoming a bonsai.

Japanese black pine

In the past year, I wired the primary branches and made two grafts near the apex. This winter, I thinned crowded areas and rewired the branches. Here’s the tree after thinning.

After pruning and pulling needles

And here’s the tree after wiring.

After wiring – 18″ to top of future apex

I have yet to determine the front, but I expect it will be within 30 degrees of of the two markers in the front of the pot.

To help gauge the shape of the trunk, here’s a shot of the pine from the right side.

Right side

I’ll repot the tree this winter. The work for the coming year will look like last year’s work – grafting, pruning, and rewiring. I expect the silhouette to take shape over the next two-to-three years.

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