Bonsai contest

This is a Cape honeysuckle (Tecomaria capensis), by Ken T. I like the knob on the right that makes the tree unique and tells a little story. I can still see a few things that might improve it.

1. The soil line could be just a little higher so the base of the tree would have more anchored feel. Generally saying this is just to lower the tree in the pot.

2. Perhaps letting the crown grow up higher in the center and then rounding it off some would balance the tree a little better.

3. The roots from the surface should be more covered with soil.

4. If turning the tree counterclockwise, it the view could be better.

This is a flowering serissa by Brian and Jill. It is healthy, the flowers are great and the strong little trunk is a good start. A too large pot can work for growing on and encouraing development, so maybe that is their intention.

This is a little ficus by Susan Richards. I like the way the trunk is wired. It promises a good future for this sparse little tree. Right now the sparse leaves are way too big for the tree, as is the pot; at least for show purposes Read more!

Apex, Canopy, Crown

This Zelkova serrata is a classic broom style bonsai. Often when you think of broom style, you think of Zelkova. However, neither broom style nor zelkova are what inspired this post.

Sometime back someone asked me for some info on designing apices. At that time I promised that I would sometime post something and then proceeded to neglect to do it.



As you can see, this picture shows how to maintain the silhouette on a zelkova broom style bonsai. Pretty simple and the good news is that this technique can apply to many types of trees in various styles, though you don not want to be too literal as there are differences that crop up. Read more!