novice

Hey folks! I've dabbled in bonsai for about a year, but I'm pretty new to this forum. I bought a tiny shimpaku today and thought that the young, flexible tree would lend itself well to a windswept! My questions are: 1) Which side should be the front? There are two long branches on one side, a...

This'll be a long detailed post, so feel free to bail now or skip to post 2 where the design questions are :D Some background: Was gifted this clump style shimpaku late last year and it was a great push into the Bonsai deep end. I've invested the dormant winter months to learn like a madman...

Hello Everyone! Yesterday I was gifted a very lovely bonsai (that I have absolutely no idea how to look after, so any tips would be greatly appreciated). Anyway, I discovered that the bonsai came with friends and I like them but I’m concerned that they could be weeds? But they don't look like...

Does anyone have any recommendations for an affordable tool kit for beginners? Ideally, I am looking for a 6 or 7 piece set. I was originally thinking stainless steel, but am open to carbon steel, too. Admittedly, while I am experienced with growing plants, I am quite the novice at bonsai and...

This is my 1st and only Bonsai which was gifted to me about 2.5 years ago. At first I didn't know much about the species of tree, pruning etc... but managed to keep the tree alive and healthy. I don't have pics from when I 1st got it, but it has grow significantly. After reading a little on...

Hello all, I am new to the community. I recently purchased this 12 year old Tiger Bark ficus Bonsai (pictured below) after wanting to get into Bonsai for years. I have shears for clipping, a water meter to gauge soil moisture, fertilizers, wire, everything I could possibly need (I think!)...

Hi everyone, I’m located in New England, USA and know just enough of bonsai yo be dangerous haha . I was hoping to get some guidance and advice for collecting one or two Red Maples I have come across ranging between 3-5 inches at the base and show potential as bonsai. Attached are pics of the 4...

Hello all, I'm just starting out looking into bonsai, so a complete novice. Bought a tree from a friend, hasnt started out as a bonsai but could I make it into a bonsai? If so how would I go about this? It's about 2ft high. Thanks, Ross

Hello, I live in a small house and now have 5 indoor bonsai that I am really enjoying, one of which is a bilobed Grewia (Grewia Biloba) I got for Christmas. So I set up a stand by the southern window, beside the door to my porch where the rest bonsai tools and pots are. In the past week I...

Just bought this juniper and wired the trunk a bit. Should I prune it and if so, how? Techiniques? Should I let it grow for a while and not touch it? I am new to bonsai and am eager to learn. It's got a bunch of new growth but the branches are long on one side and short on the other...I just...