taper

I recently came across a good deal on a Juniper chinensis 'Torulosa' at a small local nursery. It's about 7' tall and 1.2" thick near the base. It's currently in a 5 gallon nursery container with nursery soil mix. Only 40USD. The movement is subtle toward the base so I think this might make a...

Hey guys, I’m a little confused on how taper is achieved with formal upright conifers like an incense cedar. If I grow it out in the ground and then chop the main trunk and wait for a new leader to form, wouldn’t that leader come out off to the side so it wouldn’t look formal upright anymore...

Hi all. I’m stumped about how to choose which branches to keep on this chinese elm tree (and really any tree in general). How do you choose which branches to keep vs cut off? How do I choose a 1st vs 2nd vs back branch and so on?? I’ve read that there are some guidelines to follow with...

Dug up this chinese elm from the woods in Central Florida today. Here’s the plan with it: What do y’all think?

Hello all, I live in central Florida and throughout my years living here, I’ve noticed an abundance of Chinese elm trees in landscapes and in the wild. The trees have the orange flaky iconic bark that Chinese elms possess and the small leathery elm leaves. The trees max out at about 30 feet...

Does anyone have any advice on fertilizing a red maple/swamp maple yamadori bonsai? Like what type of fertilizer to use and how often to use it? Brand names are very helpful. The tree is most likely 25-30 years old. Also what soil mixture would you guys recommend? I’m seeing various...

Check out this beautiful Red Maple I just dug from the swamp. Stunning nebari and a leader branch already set in for me. Can’t wait to see where this goes! Trunk is about 6 inches wide at the base. Tips on styling are always welcome. Especially regarding those big cuts!

Hey guys. I recently found what I believe is a red cedar aka eastern juniper in the woods in florida and I dug it out because it had nice features. I should’ve done more research on juniper before I drastically pruned it, because it turns out that juniper does not back bud on branches if...

Dug up this oak a few months ago and it’s bursting with beautiful new foliage. Do you guys think this is suitable material for a good bonsai? Maybe if I chop it low and start a new leader? I dug it up because I thought the nebari was beautiful and there was a little taper at the base.

Hi everyone. I just dug up this wisteria that my neighbor didn’t want. It’s very fat for a vine, but quite ugly. It’s about 8 inches wide at the base. Any styling suggestions? Should I just throw it out?

Hello, I have an azalea stump that I’m going to be transforming into bonsai. Pictured below is my desired front: Given that this is the front of the future bonsai, what styles would you guys recommend for me? I am not creative at all and I will not be able to create a beautiful tree...

Hey friends. I’m curious what you guys’ opinions are as to how good the backside of a bonsai trunk looks. Does it matter or does it not? Can an ugly trunk backside just be hidden by branches and foliage over time? or does it take away from the value of the tree? For example, I have this...

Hey friends, I recently dug up this very interesting American Beech from the forests of West Virginia. I thought it had very interesting and beautiful features. i am not experienced with deadwood or much wiring though, and I don’t know if it has potential. What do you guys think? worth it...

Hello friends. I dug up this young purple crepe myrtle from a friend’s yard that they didn’t want. It’s relatively long and skinny for bonsai so I’m deciding whether or not to chop off the majority of the top. My plan is pictured below. Seem like a good idea? What would you guys do?

Hi all, In our landscape, there was this crepe myrtle that my parents wanted to get rid of and I figured: why not use it for bonsai. I am relatively new to bonsai and would like to know if this is usable material. The leaves on this variety are very small and glossy and the flowers are red...

Hi all! How far up the trunk would you to prune back this maple in order to establish good taper in the future? Which branch should be the new leader? Storm

So I bought a Trident at the California Shohin Seminar last weekend (it's obviously not Shohin sized though). I'm excited about this tree and looking forward to working with it. I was impressed with the trunk's taper and movement, and despite some flaws, it's definitely one of the nicer pieces...