Bonsai Hedge Cutting Method

The Japanese maple that Walter Pall uses to illustrate his ‘hedge-cutting method.’ This photo was taken four years after Walter started working with this tree. The before photo is below Continuing with Walter Pall… we originally ran this post on Walter’s hedge-cutting method in 2013, but it’s so good that it’s worth another look I first learned about hedge shearing bonsai from Jim Smith (sadly now deceased), a highly respected American Bonsai Artist and grower who worked primarily with tropical and sub-tropical bonsai. Because Jim lived in Florida, I figured that hedge shearing was only used in the tropics or sub-tropics, due to rapid rates … Continue reading Bonsai Hedge Cutting Method

Feed Your Bonsai (They Don’t Survive on Water, Light and Love Alone)

Your bonsai may never look like this, but they can be this healthy if you tend to basic care, including ample fertilizing. It’s a Japanese maple that belongs to Walter Pall. Walter lists its height as 75cm (30″) and its age as around thirty years. It was imported from a Korean nursery in 2016. The pot is a Tokoname from Japan. This is not the first time we’ve encouraged you to tend to your bonsai’s nutrient needs, and it won’t be the last. The tree above appeared here on Bark a few months ago. Most of the rest of what you see here … Continue reading Feed Your Bonsai (They Don’t Survive on Water, Light and Love Alone)

A Radical Approach to Pruning

The Japanese maple that Walter Pall uses to illustrate his ‘hedge-cutting method.’ This photo was taken four years after Walter started working with this tree. The before photo is below. I think this is the third time for this post, but it’s a good one. So just in case you missed it… Walter Pall’s hedge-cutting method. In a post a couple years ago, we featured a radical approach to soil and feeding by Walter Pall. This post features another of Walter’s radical innovations. This time it’s about pruning broad leaf bonsai. I first learned about hedge shearing bonsai from Jim … Continue reading A Radical Approach to Pruning

Mystical Dragon

I like both the character (the deadwood) and the simplicity (the rest) of this tree. It’s a Buttonwood by Robert Kempinski. I found it here. It’s time to revisit Buttonwoods, our American (but not just American) tropical jewel . There’s lots of information on the web about buttonwoods and particularly their care. Two good places to start are: Of Bonsai Magazine and Bonsai Mary’s. And then there are our numerous posts that feature Buttonwoods. The first two photos are new to us. The others are from a Bark post titled American Tropical Jewell. This one belongs to Mary Madison. John Naka called … Continue reading Mystical Dragon

Feed Your Bonsai (They Don’t Survive on Water, Light and Love Alone)

Your bonsai may never look like this, but they can be this healthy. It’s a Chinese Quince (Pseudocydonia sinensis) from this year’s Kokufu Exhibition. I picked it for a couple of reasons. First it shows early spring leaves (forced for the mid-winter Exhibition) and for some of us it’s early spring now. Second, this post is about fertilizing, and this tree is from Japan where bonsai growers know the value of timely fertilizing. It’s archive time again. The tree above appeared here on Bark a couple months ago. Most of the rest of what you see here is from an … Continue reading Feed Your Bonsai (They Don’t Survive on Water, Light and Love Alone)

American Tropical Jewel

Buttonwood by Ed Trout. The photo is from The Art of Bonsai Project. * I’m headed out for a brief Independence Day respite, so we’ll take the easy way out and plunder our archives once again. This one is from August 2011 (assuming we haven’t reposted it since then – there’s this issue with memory). I can think of two good reasons to choose it: 1. It’s tropical and it feels like the tropics lately here in northern Vermont where extended hot weather is rare indeed, and 2. Buttonwoods are an American tree and the most American of holidays is … Continue reading American Tropical Jewel

Feed Your Bonsai!

Your bonsai may never look like this, but they can be this healthy. This magnificently robust Willow leaf ficus (Ficus nerifolia) is by Jim Smith of Dura-Stone in Vero Beach Florida. The photo is from Bonsai Today, issue 61 and was taken by Jim. While we’re on basic bonsai health topics, we might as well discuss fertilizing. And, because I’m traveling again we’ll dig into our archives. All the way back to May 2009 (with some fairly extensive adding and editing this time). Your bonsai depend on you Bonsai do not survive on water, light, and love alone. Because most … Continue reading Feed Your Bonsai!

Walter Pall’s Hedge Cutting Method

The Japanese maple that Walter Pall uses to illustrate his ‘hedge-cutting method.’ This photo was taken four years after Walter started working with this tree. The before photo is below. We ran this last year, but it’s so good and the season for bonsai hands on is almost here for most of us (already here for some), so just in case you missed it… Walter Pall’s hedge-cutting method. Our last post presented a radical approach to soil and feeding by Walter Pall, the great bonsai innovator. This post features another of Walter’s radical innovations. This time it’s about pruning broad … Continue reading Walter Pall’s Hedge Cutting Method

Walter Pall’s Hedge Cutting Method

The Japanese maple that Walter Pall uses to illustrate his ‘hedge-cutting method.’ This photo was taken four years after Walter started working with this tree. The before photo is below. Walter Pall’s hedge-cutting method. Our last post presented a radical approach to soil and feeding by Walter Pall, the great bonsai innovator. This post features another of Walter’s radical innovations. This time it’s about pruning broad leaf bonsai. Before continuing with Walter’s technique, I’ll reintroduce Jim Smith and see if I can bore you with a personal note. I first learned about hedge shearing bonsai from Jim Smith, a highly … Continue reading Walter Pall’s Hedge Cutting Method

A True Gentleman & A Very Large Tree

It’s not often we feature photos of people on this blog, but, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to show you this photo of Jim Smith, one of the true gentlemen in our bonsai community, and a master of large tropical trees (this one looks like a Portulacaria). The photo was posted on facebook by Mareta Martell today with this caption: ‘big bonsai 300 years old by Jim Smith’ (we know it’s not really 300). A remarkable place It’s been way too many years since I visited Jim Smith’s Durastone Nursery in Vero Beach. Florida. It’s a remarkable place; just … Continue reading A True Gentleman & A Very Large Tree