Chinese Elm – Corky Bark

10 hours ago Nebby 0
Source: Watto Bonsai Blog. I grew this from a cutting when I didn’t even know what a cutting was, well that’s my story anyway. It has had quite a journey over that period and it still isn’t that good, but it has sentimental value to me. Of course it was time for a repot and Read More

A New Trident Maple

10 hours ago Nebby 0
Source: Watto Bonsai Blog. I dug this maple from my yard last year and it grew quite well. This year I decided to give it a repot and a trim with the idea of getting it on the correct path and hopefully in a bonsai pot in 3 to 5 years. I enjoy a short Read More

What Happened to the Spanish Edition of Post-Dated?

2 days ago Nebby 0
Source: Crataegus Bonsai Blog. Post-Dated: The Schooling of an Irreverent Bonsai Monk is a memoir of my bonsai apprenticeship, and some years back we’d started work on a Spanish translation that went on an unexpected journey. My translator Felipe Rodríguez Romero had almost finished it, we were reaching the celebration stage—deep into selecting balloon colors—when his Read More

Broom Like Shohin Plum

4 days ago Nebby 0
Source: Watto Bonsai Blog. It was time to repot this bonsai so I also took the opportunity to lift it slightly in the pot (to reveal a little more nabari) and of course to give it some fresh media. This year I used 100% acadama and I hope that the tree will respond positively.  I Read More

Seiju Elm

6 days ago Nebby 0
Source: Watto Bonsai Blog. I have had this elm for about ten years and it has been slow to develop, very slow but I now feel it may be ready to exhibit in a couple of years. That is the plan anyway. It still has a few improvement to be made and those will happen Read More

Roberta Walters’ Azaleas 101 – A Guide to Seasonal Azalea Care

1 week ago Nebby 0
Source: Ry2Tree2 Bonsai Blog.             Few species of bonsai can compete with the visual intrigue produced by an azalea in full bloom. For that reason, today I have to resist the flowery temptation to write a full on history of their use in bonsai and review manual for Azalea techniques (maybe someday…). Read More

Retrospective: Drawings, Paintings, Sculpture, Pots, and Bonsai

1 week ago Nebby 0
Source: Crataegus Bonsai Blog. For a year I’ve been dreaming about assembling my past artwork in a timeline. Almost everything I had needed to be digitized from slides and prints, the earliest from 35 years ago. Going through the big boxes of images took longer than expected, as I would drift into reverie over times Read More

Pruning Young Chojubai in Summer ~

2 weeks ago Nebby 0
Source: Crataegus Bonsai Blog. The last post was about energy balancing older shrubs, using a Chojubai as our example. Here is a younger Chojubai, in a large training container, and to balance it requires a different approach. Early summer is a good time to cut extensions back on developing Chojubai. If vigorous you can cut Read More

2021 7th US National Bonsai Exhibition Update

3 weeks ago Nebby 0
Source: Valavanis Bonsai Blog. DCIM0MEDIADJI_0014.JPG “The Show Is On” These past couple of years have been difficult for everyone, many had to adjust and make changes to continue. Fortunately people had an extra year to prepare their bonsai, and looking at the photo submissions they look superb! The 2021 7th US National Bonsai Exhibition will take Read More

Energy Balancing in Shrubs

3 weeks ago Nebby 0
Source: Crataegus Bonsai Blog. Being basally dominant, many shrubs are going to do anything they can to kill off older parts and grow shoots from below. The more geriatric the shrub, the greater the danger of killing off exactly what we want to preserve—the older, trunky bits. They don’t like to make trunks much, with Read More