Yamadori Excursion 2023, Part 1
First part of an article covering this year’s yamadori collecting trip.
Beginner
Another Swamp Monster in the Making
The early beginnings of a great informal upright bald cypress that was collected from the wild.
Developing Chinese Elm Shohin
I started this Chinese elm, Ulmus parvifolia, from cutting stock we had at the nursery. I wish I had taken photos of this tree when I first chopped it as it was repotted during a workshop that was all about repotting and developing proper nebari on elms. It just so happens that the little tree …
Air Layering and a Twisty Ugly Tree
There’s a saying out there that says every dog gets it’s day and today just might be this tree’s dog day. You see, my tree is just plain too ugly to really be made into something desirable. It has a lot of character flaws when it comes to aesthetics. For one, the root flare is …
A Stump of a Tree
Okay, it’s time to clear up a lot of things up about these little potted stump trees we have everywhere around the nursery. For those who don’t know, I’m referring to all the freshly collected yamadori. They are the trees that were dug up, heavily root pruned, and tied down into training pots this season. …
Creating Bonsai from Raw Stock
This past week’s Third Thursday class was quite a success and we had several smiling faces ready to learn. The topic was on how to take any raw stock that can be found at either a typical garden center or a pre-bonsai and prep for future training as a potential bonsai. Working with raw stock …