Category: Bonsai
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Return of the Larix
As you might remember from Arrival of a Larix we received this larch some time ago. I finally decided to set out to work on it this Saturday as it was a nice day out and this guy was just looking like he needed some attention. The first order of business was to begin working on […]
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Eastern White Cedar – Getting a face lift
We thought it might be fun to show some of the trees that Daniel has been working on. He began working on this tree the other day and wanted to share it with everyone. Thuja Occidentalis (Eastern White Cedar) is a tree that doesn’t get too much play as a bonsai specimen however it has […]
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Gnarly Branches Ancient Trees – by Will Hiltz
It occurred to me, after I sent diane Robinson a link to the blog, that I had not yet mentioned the book I contributed to. First off… diane is not a typo. I like to make sure people understand that… she is ‘little d’. In fact, someday when I grow up, I hope to be just […]
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The Taming of the Hornbeam
How fitting that the last image in the previous post be of the tree in this one. We didn’t plan it that way… I promise! Creating that essence of age that we strive for in deciduous material is a combination of several tasks over the course of many years. In the early years it is […]
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The Seven States of Bonsai – Part Four
(Yes, bless it all… this is the end.) Continued from Part Three… Recovery: The period of time between activities in which the tree is expending energy on healing and sealing wounds, or on regaining strength post damage. Once a tree has been worked over (especially its roots) leave it alone for several weeks. Water it […]
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The Seven States of Bonsai – Part Three
(Popcorn, soda, and a comfortable chair may be required, but should be worth the read.) Continued from Part Two… Stress: The effect of various impacts both intentional and not, on a tree. When stress turns into distress is where you have a problem. Almost everything we do to trees in bonsai horticulture is a form […]
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The Seven States of Bonsai – Part Two
(This post is rated PG… seedlings should not read this without parental guidence… Yah I know, keep my day job.) Continued from Part One in this series… Reproduction: The development of fruit, seed pods, or cones on a tree. This usually happens during periods of active growth through to fall. Reproduction for a tree early […]
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The Seven States of Bonsai – Part One
If you are reading this you want to learn something about bonsai… sometimes we don’t even know what we are searching for… just something, anything really, which will help us be more successful in keeping our trees alive. Originally this was going to be one huge post, and then my husband rightly pointed out that […]
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Arrival of a Larix
Today our good friend John Conn delivered a tree to us that we had recently purchased. It happened by chance that he would be at the nursery where the tree was and he was kind enough to offer to bring it with him upon his return. Just today the tree was dropped off and we […]
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Sunshine – It’s elemental my dear Watson…
To make a visually pleasing bonsai is a matter of balance in all things. The pot to the tree, the base to the trunk, the trunk to the main branches, and the main branches to the tertiary branches. To make a great bonsai, to our mind, requires the tree to also tell you a dramatic story of survival against the most hostile […]