Bonsai tree: Photo Art Contest: Entry #4

James Miles submitted this entry to our $100 Bonsai Art Photo Contest. It’s a juniper somewhere in the high Sierras. That’s granite that is appears to be growing on. How do they do that?
Even though we always seem to have sales, this one is particularly good, with a range of items double discounted.

Source: Bonsai Bark Read more!

Bonsai tree: juniper, deadwood juniper

Check out the meandering living vein on this wonderful crazy work in progress. Perhaps there is a clue in something that Masahiko Kimura did years ago in a chapter entitled ‘Kimura Flips in our Masters’ Series Juniper book.


Here’s the tree that was flipped upside down. Read more!

Bonsai: junipers, shohin

This is a little gem. They one every other year and the quality of trees just keeps getting better. I am already thinking about rearranging my schedule so I can go next time.

For more superb shohin bonsai wait for next posts. Read more!

Styling a Juniper bonsai

In April of 2009 Farrand Bloch flew me down to California for a photo shoot at Boon Manakitivipart’s place. Boon was very generous in supplying the tree. I had a couple of hours to study it and then the cameras came out. Here are some photos from that day:

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Juniper by Isao Omachi

This is a Juniper by Isao Omachi. Though you can tell it’s a juniper, no specifics were given except that four of Mr. Omachi’s trees have been accepted in Kokufu-ten.
The tree is remarkable and so are some of his bonsaing work. I recommend you take a look and feel free to add to the discussion. Read more!

Bark Stripping Tool

This is my brand new Bark Stripping Jin Tool. It has two settings, one for thin branches and one for thicker branches, but you can adjust it easily to any size up to almost 5cm. The overall lenght of the tool is 6approx 17cm. Made in Japan by Koyo tools.
I just braved the cold and ice and tried mine on three types of branchs: oak, larch and juniper of different thickness. As soon as I got the hang of how much pressure to apply and the wrist movement, it worked like a charm.
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California Juniper Gallery

California juniper by Ernie Kuo. This tree was collected by Sam Uyeno in 1985 and later purchased by Mr. Kuo. Height 79cm in a Chinese pot. Read more!

Fantastic Junipers

This is a Shore Juniper (J. procumbens) by master bonsai innovator, Masahiko Kimura. It combinse the sculptural look that has been favored by some Japanese bonsai artists with a more wild, ruged natural look that is in favour in much for the world bonsai community. If bonsai is an art, then the categories are continually being broken down as artist play, explore and inovate. And no bonsai artist that has played, explored and inovated more successfuly thanMaster Kimura.
Junipers are tough, durable and flexible and pruneable. They don’t mind having their roots hacked and they take to container culture. Their needles tend to be small and dense and both their needles and bark come in a range of attractive colours and textures. Perhaps best of all, junipers take to carving like few other plants and their deadwood is both attractive and long lasting especially if you keep it clean and apply lime sulfur.



Dwarf Japanese garden juniper. One thing I do know is that it is unmistakably a Procumbens nana; a dwarf cultivar of the Procumbnes. Procumbens nana is by far the most popular juniper for beginners, at least here in the States. However, you seldom see a masterpiece, as the trunks tend to stay too thin. The trunk on this one is about a thick as they ever get. Read more!

Shimpaku Juniper pinch

If you are one of those curmudgeons who complains about the overly sculpted look of some Japanese bonsai, you have got to admit that this powerhouse Shimpaku approaches perfection. That trunk draws your eye like few trunks anywhere, with its single living vein, mysterious holow at its base and the spidry fingers and hole at the top. But it’s the tight lush foliage that I want to point out here; the result of some serious trimming and pinching.
Although it is so difficult to advise without seeing an image, in generally saiyng, I pinch far too much on junipers. I recommend cutting the longer shoots that push out of a foliage pad with a scissors, a couple of times a year, rather than trying to create density with pinching. That tends to greatly weaken junipers. Repoyting can rejuvenate a tree that is metabolicaly slowing down because the pot is full of roots.

You can pinch with your fingers.

You can also use the tips of your shears for fine trimming.
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Shohin Juniper

There is something going on with this little juniper, though I am not sure where is its headed. maybe cascade? In any case, it is potential and will have a hard time to develop in such a small pot. Most of the best shohin are grown in larger pots and then reduced. I do like the heavy little trunk and think that over time and with some work the deadwood might add character. Is it just the photo, or is the wire already diging in? Read more!

A Couple Bonsai and Landscapes

This generally old Japanese white pine (P. parviflora) is from a Japanese gallery. Unknown artist.

Hyperbole aside, it is one of the most mind bendinglly wildly beautiful places on this planet. I will keep you posted. Meanwhile, here are a couple of trees plus a taste of what is in the store for today.


A piece of Point Lobos.
Shooting landscapes is a bit like shooting bonsai. No matter what you do, the shot is always as powerful as the real thing. Stil, this might give you some idea of the extreme natural beauty that exists here and there on this planet.


Juniperus rigida (Needle juniper, or Temple juniper). Artist unknown.


Landscape Read more!

Sierra/Shimpaku juniper

This magnificent Sierra/Shimpaku juniper is the work of Michael Hagedorn which is a famous bonsai artist.

Re-working a remarkable Weyerhouser Juniper
Here is what Michael told me about the tree above: “A rangy juniper reworked in a half-day refinement session at the Weyerhouser collection in Federal Way, Washington. This 40″ (102cm) tree is a colected Sierra juniper grafted with shimpaku.” Read more!

So, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

In most areas of the country, snow is simply a part of winter. In the South, however, it may come once per year and most of the time that doesn’t stick to the ground. We had a really good snow this year though, and for some of my bonsai, it was their first time to deal with it. We got about 4 inches a few weeks ago,but it was gone by lunch. So here are some pictures of it:

Juniper in snow

Bonsai bench in snow

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A Sierra Juniper’s Eight Year Journey

After. January, 2009 at Bay Island Bonsai show “An Exhbit of Fine Bonsai.” If you go to Styling on Bonsai Boon you can see how Boon got from before (below) to here.

Another example of a formidable bonsai artist expertise

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How to Grow Bonsai Trees : Avoiding Common Problems with Bonsai Trees

Learn how to avoid common problems with bonsai tree growing, in this free video.

Expert: Mike Hansen

Bio: Mike Hansen, owner of Midwest Bonsai, has been growing, caring, selling, and instructing others in bonsai care for years. Mike is an expert bonsai master.

Duration : 0:2:16


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How to Grow Bonsai Tree: How to Care Your Bonsai Tree : Bonsai Maintenance

Maintaining a bonsai garden is fun and easy with these tips from a bonsai garden professional.



Bio: Mike Hansen, owner of Midwest Bonsai, has been growing, caring, selling, and instructing others in bonsai care for years. Mike is an expert bonsai master.
Duration : 0:3:40

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How to Grow Bonsai Trees : How Often to Water your Bonsai Trees : Tips Watering Bonsai

Learn special watering instructions are needed to properly care for your bonsai tree, in this free video.

Expert: Mike Hansen

Bio: Mike Hansen, owner of Midwest Bonsai, has been growing, caring, selling, and instructing others in bonsai care for years. Mike is an expert bonsai master.

Duration : 0:0:54

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What is the best kind of bonsai tree should I get and why?

Looking to get a Bonsai tree. But what kind do i get and where should i get it? there are, Junipers, Ficus, Pines/Palms, and other Unique Trees.

Junipers cost less and won’t kill you if they die.

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How to Grow Bonsai Trees : How to Make your Own Bonsai : Bonsai Lessons for Beginners

Just getting started in bonsai? This video with tips for beginners will help you learn how to grow bonsai trees.

Expert: Mike Hansen

Bio: Mike Hansen, owner of Midwest Bonsai, has been growing, caring, selling, and instructing others in bonsai care for years. Mike is an expert bonsai master.

Duration : 0:3:35

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Juniper sp.

Well known and one of the most popular - Juniper bonsai. It habituates in the northern hemisphere of the World. For growing a bonsai, it best suits species form South-Est of Europe and Asia.
Particular characteristic of the fruit is a common one for the whole Cypress group. The leaves happen to be of two type: pinnacle and very rigid or scale. Sometimes both of them appear to be present on the same bonsai. An interesting fact is that fruits of the Juniper are used to make the sort of alcohol called Jin. This tree likes a lot of sun rather than a watery environment.

Caring in vegetation period

Every king of Juniperus sp. is felling well under high-level sun radiation, but suffers being in a dark place(except heated seasons, when we talk about young plants).Juniper is very steady to most uncomfortable weather state and temperature, though when it is frosty weather you should guard its rhizome. Juniper does not attach to the group of plants which needs a lot of watering, so it is recommended not to water until the soil is fully dry. It is also not recommended to settle the plant in high humidity environment. Adding nutritive material best suits to a warm time of the year in a moderate way. You should not abuse using nutritions, when it is a favorabil season to browse.
In the end of winter it is the best time to trans-pot the Juniper and to prune (before the young runaway appears). Every 3 or 4 years, you should cut the rhizome to 1/3 of its true length, which makes a good plant invigoration of the existent rhizomes and appearance of new ones.

Styling the bonsai

The species which have pinnacle leaves, you should firstly completely remove the yellow ones, from the center of the crown, trying not to leave there a thing. The trees with green squamiform leaves should not have new runaways and the pruning is good to be spent in spring and autumn.

Because of the low growth it is not a must to cut branches for changing the direction of the trunk, but it would be much more useful to wire, that could be done in autumn and un-wire not earlier than 7-8 months.
You could apply other, much harder techniques, thanks to a high flexibility and durability of its wood material. It is often used the technique of forming the tree by attaching weights or cross-piece.

Illness and wreckers

The stables and leaves of these plants are rarely exposed to insect, tick or woodlouse invasion in the specific power of the bark and leaves. But it can't be neglected the possibility of being infected with the fungus Coryneum cardinale, that slowly destroys the infected tree. The illness begins with discoloration of the leaves and appearance of some black spots on the surface of the trunk and branches, which provokes branches to become dry.

With the help of fungicide, especially sistematical, you could get rid of it. In this case you should necessarly remove dry branches, to eliminate the possibility of uncontrolable spreading of the fungus. Read more!