I have had this tree for quite some time and I have been trying to develop the “hanging branch” for a few years, probably unsuccessful as you can see. I haven’t given up hope but it has been a struggle. In the coming months I will separate the foliage pads a bit more to give definition to the overall look and thin the crown more as well.

This side was chosen because it shows a wide base and some movement in the trunk, however I am considering altering the front to this new angle. I will further consider this before the next major work and probably consult with a few bonsai friends for their opinions.

I have not posted in a while so it is time to rectify that situation.

I am taking a late summer photo of a few of my trees and I will share them with you over the coming weeks. My plan was to take quite a few photos today but the rain has put a stop to that. However I did get a couple of shots of my large Ivy in flower and it is first off the rank.

This tree has had many “fronts” over the years and this is the current favorite viewing position but that could change.

After flowering I will give it a good trim and set it for next season. I will not let it fruit this year as the tree needs its energy for foliage growth (and I don’t want birds to eat the fruit and spread ivy into our bush land).

I have been training this cedar for a few years now and this week I decided to give it a new front. In the next couple of years I may change my mind again but for now this is the look and I hope the tree agrees.

In 2018 this was the look I was hoping would be successful.

However over time the foliage below the soil level, or pot level didn’t appeal to me. So in 2019 I stood the tree in a more upright fashion and I thought that looked OK.

After further study, some wire and a trim this is the latest look and I think it has potential. I will let it grow into the new front over the coming months and then start the refinement stage with the idea to keep the foliage contained within the trunk and the branch lines. As things progress I will update.

Tall, thin and elegant bonsai appear to be out of fashion. There is a real emphasis on trunk width to tree height ratios, and that ratio also appears to be moving in a shorter fatter direction. To be fair I often try to design my bonsai with thick trunks and as short in stature as I can, but I do think there is a place for the tall thin examples.

The largest trees in the world would never make it as bonsai simply because they are far too tall in relation to their trunk thickness and the oldest trees in the world also fit in this category.

This plum is tall, skinny and I think elegant. It stands 115 cm tall and I have never done the measurements to determine the thunk width to tree height ratio because it would be pointless. The tree still needs a lot of work and the next phase is planned for just after leaf fall where most probably all branches will be wired (to take out those that are straight) and some other work around the trunk transition.

This English elm was dug by me a few years ago and it was pre-styled by horses who ate half the bark off the trunk almost all the way along the length of the trunk. This tree also needs a lot of work especially a new pot. It needs work on the nabari, work on the dead wood and probably a reduction in the size of the crown to bring it more in line with the literati look I am aiming for. Again it is tall, thin (probably not elegant though) and stands about 120 cm high.

I think both these trees have something to offer as bonsai and I hope others will also be bold enough to add a few tall thin bonsai to their collections.

In my last post I showed a pot I made specifically for a Acacia howittii ‘Green Wave’ and so here it is, with a friend of the same species.

Both were potted up recently and are looking quite good so far. Only another ten years or so before they start to look good but you have to start somewhere.

I like these because they have some movement in the trunks, good healthy foliage and should flower in the spring. If they do flower next spring I will post a photo or two.

I’ve been making a few bonsai pots over the last few years and I’m still loving it. It is a thrill to see one of your bonsai in a pot that you designed and made. I am still very much an amateur but if I say so myself I am gradually improving.

Here is a few from the last batch I made.

The “stick in a pot” terminology is often used in bonsai and almost always in a derogatory way. People new to bonsai then get discouraged about the art and often don’t pursue it.

Many times a stick in a pot is a starting point and hopefully people will continue and enjoy the art/craft.

Some time ago I dug a few crab apple seedlings I decided to plant it into a bonsai pot to see how it goes and I think it is going along just fine. While it will never be an exhibition winner it will be OK and give me, or perhaps someone else many years of enjoyment. Isn’t the enjoyment factor a large part of owning bonsai? I think yes.

Accents plantings are needed when exhibiting your bonsai and I generally have a few “on the go” so I can use them if required.

Here are two that are currently looking OK so I thought I would share.

The first planting is in a pot hand made by Janet Selby (love the little frog on the side) and the second planting is in a pot by James Tranter, again hand made by an Australian potter.

This small Zelcova serrata looked wild before its late spring/early summer trim and tidy up. I think it now looks respectable for the coming festive season.

More work is required on the leaf size and the ramification but those two things go hand in hand so a few leaf size reduction strategies over the coming months should improve its overall look.

Small tree in a small pot, yep I think its coming along.

Some time ago I sought some advice, suggestions or maybe that was a way forward for a hawthorn that I had fallen out of love with. A well respected and talented international bonsai artist that I was having a workshop with (another tree as the subject) was asked for his opinion and he described the tree as an ugly pig. Unfortunately he was correct, very correct in fact. While the tree looked OK while in leaf it looked terrible without leaves.

So this is how it looked in 2016 not long before the advice was given. The crown looked OK but the long bare trunks looked a little weird.

Consultation over a refreshing ale led to a radical shortening of the trunks, some additional carving work and a very severe cut. After it was left to grow on and out to regain strength.

This year it was time to continue the transformation by giving some direction to the growth that had occurred on the three trunks and to reduce the growth so that I could see the direction.

The foliage was wild and woolly and the thorns were sharp but a few cuts got some order in proceedings. I can now see a bright future for this tree and hopefully I will be able to display it in a few years, and if I’m lucky while it is in flower.

It is still a little bit tall but some additional work after it looses its leaves will put it on the right path. The next update is probably a couple of years away, stay tuned.