Guy Wires for Old Bonsai Maples
Bonsaiplace
by Bonsaiplace
5d ago
Someone recently asked about the use of guy wires in Bonsai. I find that guy wires are particularly useful when used on older Maple trees. The branches are very brittle and not flexible at all (the older ones). The tree in the photos is a prime examples of this. Two branches were lost over the last few years trying to set the branches with wire directly applied to the branches. The first photo below has a little stump just under the wire (middle) where one of these branches, which just happened to be critical in filling the back of the tree, broke while bending. I apply a guy wire if I need to ..read more
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Setting the future direction of a Bonsai Hinoki Cypress.
Bonsaiplace
by Bonsaiplace
2w ago
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Wire on, wire off.
Bonsaiplace
by Bonsaiplace
1M ago
It is always exciting for me to apply wire to a tree and I feel the same excitement unwiring a tree. Applying wire is part of the creative process. You wire and you place the branches in place and when done, you can stand back and admire the design. Removing the wire for me brings the same excitement in that once the wire is off, two emotions are detected. One is happiness that you managed to remove the wire in time with no nasty wire bite marks on the branches. The second emotion is about the same as seeing an infant take the first steps on his or her own or seeing your puppy successfully toi ..read more
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Always have Fun.
Bonsaiplace
by Bonsaiplace
3M ago
The composition is 14cm high. The pot is by Fionna from @How I make Bonsai pots in New Zealand. The plant is a Cotoneaster and has already flowered. Flowers were removed as the focus is on development of the branch structure. It feels like a fun toy to play with. Semi-Cascade Cotoneaster Bonsai ..read more
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Five minute styling of a Mugo Pine.
Bonsaiplace
by Bonsaiplace
3M ago
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How Much is my Bonsai Tree Worth?
Bonsaiplace
by Bonsaiplace
3M ago
I have over the last few months been asked to value some Bonsai trees for various purposes. One was from a buyer who wanted to know if the seller’s prices were fair, one was for an insurance claim and the third one was a person questioning the price that I had on a Bonsai that I was selling. To cut to the chase, a Bonsai tree is worth what someone else is willing to pay for it. I have a few trees with extremely high prices on them and the reason is that I do not really want to sell the trees. We also know that a lot of people do not get involved in the pursuit of Bonsai as there is a perceptio ..read more
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Bonsai Perfection in Imperfection
Bonsaiplace
by Bonsaiplace
10M ago
A Bonsai friend recently commented on a social media post showing an AI-generated image of a Bonsai tree that it was too perfect and that it does not display the characteristics of true Bonsai identified through the concept of Wabi-sabi. This is not the first time that I am writing about Wabi-sabi, but in this blog I would like to dig a little bit deeper into the concept and then apply it to Bonsai. I would specifically like to explore the concept of Perfection in Imperfection, one of the meanings of Wabi-sabi. AI-generated ImageAI-generated Image Let’s recap quickly on what Wabi-sabi means. A ..read more
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Structural Work on Bonsai
Bonsaiplace
by Bonsaiplace
1y ago
Winter provides good opportunities to do structural work on deciduous Bonsai trees. Sap flow is low, no leaves means you can see what you are doing and wiring can set branches before Spring growth starts. The tree in all its Winter glory. This Cherry tree was collected about a year ago and was just a trunk, in this case a triple trunk at collection. The original tree was about four metres high and in a forrest which means it was quite lanky with no branches towards the bottom. One year later and it has put on a lot of new growth and the fine root development is spectacular. It has three quite ..read more
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Update on Gardenia Bonsai
Bonsaiplace
by Bonsaiplace
1y ago
Gardenia flower On 28 February 2021, I posted a blog article named “Off the back of a truck”. https://bonsaiplace.net/2021/02/28/off-the-back-of-a-truck/ In that article I speculated about the specie of plant and my guess was correct as it is indeed a Gardenia. It flowered not too long ago, only one flower, but between that and the glassy leaves, the identification is now locked in. The photos below are of the plant when I found it on the back of a truck on its way to be dumped as well as a photo when it was potted up on that day. This is now just more than fifteen months later and the photo ..read more
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Bonsai: Summer Maintenance
Bonsaiplace
by Bonsaiplace
2y ago
With no national shows in Spring and very little club activity due to Covid-related restrictions this year, it gave the opportunity to allow trees to just grow, recover and gain some vigour. Or is it just laziness or procrastination that allowed for some of my trees to get out of hand, especially in the weed growing department. With a bit more time on my hands due to the summer break, it is time to get some control back. Before on left and after basic maintenance work on the right. This is a Privet (Ligustrum). My normal way of working is to start at the bottom and this case was no different ..read more
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