So, you’ve discovered bonsai and think, “this is something I could really get into!” Now what? Anyone who practices bonsai for long will be able to tell you this art form involves a lifetime (or more) of learning. As a new bonsai enthusiast you can’t learn it all at once, and there is a world (and a world wide web) full of information out there, so where should you begin? Below are just a few of my favorites and recommendations to build your beginning bonsai knowledge including: Books and magazines Websites and blogs Videos Clubs When I provide a list, I will put them in an order that seems ..read more

It has been an honor to serve as president of the Northern Virginia Bonsai Society (NVBS) for the past 5 years. I didn’t plan to serve in the role this long but there was a bit of a disruption in 2020. We had to shut down for a short time but with the help and enthusiasm from NVBS members and board we found a way to continue learning together, and this year we were finally poised for an election after some time back to fully in-person meetings. But this post isn’t about the pandemic. This is about the next chapter. A new NVBS President was elected this fall (Congratulations, Roberto!) and he ..read more

Let’s do some science – a very straight forward experiment. All other things being equal, what difference do a few weeks make in terms of when you choose to prune spring growth? Bonsai teachings say we wait to prune new growth until the spring leaves are hardened off. This is a gray area at best for most species, so what is it that we are really waiting for? Or put another way, what does hardening off signal that makes this a good time to prune? Ryan Neil speaks in terms of the tree being energy positive, having regained the resources spent through the winter and the spring flush. If waiting t ..read more

I am just starting to learn about formal display of bonsai. Let me share some things I’ve learned. My display at the 2022 PBA Festival I should probably start by qualifying two parts of the opening sentence. In truth I’ve known SOME about formal display for years, but I’ve never really attempted to put it into practice until now. There’s a big difference between understanding some ideas conceptually and applying them effectively. Experienced bonsai folks might question my use of the term “formal” relative to the example I shared above, but in this context “formal” is just meant to refer to a ..read more

For all the content out there about bonsai, we continue to have limited access to information about root work. Let’s call it poetic irony that the unseen content aligns with the unseen part of our trees. When we select a plant for bonsai, the roots are the one area we (usually) can’t inspect. Sure, we can check out the ever important nebari. Some of us have even been known to dig down into nursery pots with our bare hands to try to find the root base, but what can we really know about the root structure before we actually have the plant out of the pot and start working into the root mass? Here ..read more

So I dug up a privet from my yard last year and put it in a wooden box to recover. It did great, and now I’d like to put a little movement into the young branches before they are too thick to bend. Young branches on thick trunk I will only want to keep one of the branches emerging from this spot on the trunk. It’s very early in the design and growing process so I can’t necessarily choose which one is better, AND to anchor one of these to another branch with wire would require wrapping all the way around that thick trunk, which could risk scaring on the trunk. Same branches, from above, after w ..read more

Experiments are slow in bonsai. I still have a lot of questions and a lot to learn about what I am calling ‘Ground Boxes.’ You can read my first post on this topic HERE. For those who want the short version, I planted several trees into wooden frames with mesh bottoms (as pictured below) directly on the ground to test a hybrid approach between growing in a container and planting in the ground to thicken trunks. A wooden frame with wire mesh bottom. That was two years ago and I thought it was time to see what things are looking like by lifting one of the Amur maples. Amur maples aren’t particul ..read more

Today I popped the cork on spring work. Among other garden and bonsai work, I repotted a couple of trees. It has begun. Bonsai folks — especially bonsai professionals — will talk about the work that can be done in winter. As a hobbyist, I appreciate the down time I have in winter when my 9-5 can be very demanding. I do a fair amount of work in late fall, but eventually get to a point where I can “close shop” until it’s time to start the spring rush of repotting. An Amur maple I started from seed a number of years ago started taunting me in early February, pushing shoots and having the audacity ..read more

As I have worked on my ficus bonsai this summer, I have been considering a question. Who do we learn from? For a number of years I felt pretty good about learning about how to care for tropicals from folks who have lots of experience, but those experienced folks I’ve been learning from are bonsai practitioners who live in subtropical areas like Florida. Ficus microcarpa before work, summer 2021 The approach I have been following for a number of years has been to do heavy work on ficus mid-summer including defoliating for easy wiring and styling, and I repot then as well when necessary. I reall ..read more

I’m proud to say I am making progress in my goal to improve the quality of the bonsai in my collection. I have spent way too many years playing with SIPs (sticks-in-pots)! But as my trees improve, I am discovering one of the down sides — one tree can involve LOTS of wire! Vicary privet shown in Spring 2021 This privet is a good example. Since it is relatively early in its styling and development, a nearly full wiring job was necessary this spring. I was able to apply the wire with all of last year’s leaves removed — in winter image as it were — but removing the wire was a far more delicate tas ..read more