Category Archives: Bonsai Tips

Recently a member had a rain tree that suddenly started turning yellow and dropping leaves. This, as one could guess, caused him some panic. This is his tree. I assured him this was a natural occurrence. And showed him my … Continue reading →

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Once again it’s the season for sasanqua camellia bonsai to show off their flowers.   Mine have many flowers this year.   They are a very easy low maintenance plant because of their cold hardiness and resistance to insects except for tea scales and … Continue reading →

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Today I decide that it was time to work on some trees.  I started with the silver thorn (Elaeagnus sp.)  I acquired it from a 3 gallon pot.  I styled it as a bunjin but like many of my trees … Continue reading →

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I picked up this Jade plant at Joy of Bonsai in January of 2011. I never really cared for them as bonsai material too much because most of the ones I’ve seen had straight trunks. This one has a nice … Continue reading →

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This year my bougainvillea is giving a lot of flowers! It has been a joy! Share on Facebook

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Camellia plants are in the Theaceae family. One of the better know ones is Camellia sinensis because many kinds of teas are made from its leaves. I don’t see Camellia plants as a bonsai too often. In fact I’ve only … Continue reading →

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I believe either John Naka or Ben Oki when visiting CFBC many years ago said “It’s better to have a few good trees then a whole bunch of mediocre ones”. How true! Even though I’ve been trying to down size … Continue reading →

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I finally decided I could no longer put off working on my trees because of the heat.  I worked on 2 podos that I’ve had for over 2 years. Both trees were rescued from the compost pile during the month of … Continue reading →

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I’m moving right along and changing the style of some of the trees in my collection.  This buttonwood was purchased from Mary Madison 2 years ago.  Betsy had affectionately named it “The Bird nest” because the trunk went round and … Continue reading →

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For years I’ve been hesitant on trusting my gut feelings regarding making bonsai decision. I decided this year will be different. I’m starting with this buttonwood I purchased from Mary Madison in Sept of 2006 (see below). When purchased most … Continue reading →

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