• Monday, August 31st, 2009
A few months back I spent a day wiring out this Blue Alps Juniper which was both tedious and painful. Even worse was that today I spent the morning removing the wire which was even more tedious and just as painful. Although the results were worth it. The branches showed very little scaring and held their position without the wire. In a word it was a success.
Blue Alps Juniper Bonsai
I have big plans for this tree even though it is not one of my larger bonsai. This looks to be the tree that is pretty much ready for show, so it will be this year’s entry for the 2010 Epcot Flower and Garden Festival. In fact, this will probably be the photo I submit. Over the next few months I’ll work to clean up the branches even more and fill in a few bare spots. That upper right branch could still use a bit of thinning.
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• Saturday, May 30th, 2009
My trees rarely, if ever are brought into my house. Only on very cold nights in the winter will I bring them in for a few hours. However last night my wife made a great dinner and I thought that the trees would set the mood. It never fails to amaze me just how big my trees are. On their benches they look so much smaller, but on a counter top or shelf they look huge.
Hallway Nitch
The Bunjin cypress really needs a good trimming, however the light green against the dark brown gives a really nice Zen feel.
Living room accent
I really wish I could keep this tree in doors all the time. It just fits so well and looks great in that corner.
TV Stand Bonsai
Probably the worst place to place a tree because the heat dries out the bonsai so quickly. However it looked good for the night.
Upshot of Cypress
Bonsai at sunset
The other night it had just finished raining at sunset. The color off the wet screen behind it set this beautiful picture up.
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• Saturday, May 23rd, 2009
Over the past few days I have worked to wire the secondary branches of my Blue Alps Juniper, and I have the scars to prove it.
Wired out Blue Alps Juniper
This is the results of my efforts. My goal this time was to truly performs a John Naka style wiring. I wanted to shape the branches from wide to narrow at the tims and from a side view from think to thin. I think I was able to achieve that.
Top view - Blue Alps Juniper
Here is an angle that you don’t normally see, but it is an important one. When I do my wiring the health of the tree is the most important issue. I try to move the branches so that the sun light is not blocked by another branch. You need to do this or the branch will die. Nice to see a nice full canapy, although I have a little bald spot in the middle that I need to cover over.
Before picture of Blue Alps Juniper
I needed to show the before picture so t hat you can see the dramatic difference. There was a lot of health new growth on this tree, and you can’t beat the blue color. I plan to stay on top of this tree and control the growth. I also want to shorten the left branch to bring the whole tree in closer to the trunk. Right now it seems a bit long which makes the trunk look thin.
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• Saturday, September 27th, 2008
So I needed to do a few things to this tree becuase they really bothered me. First I repotted into a oval pot. The squared edges of the rectangular pot that it was in didn’t work with the curved lines of the trunk line. Also I removed a number of jins that really added nothing to the tree itself. Lastly I opened the tree up with wire and brought the branches lower so that it has a better branch structure. I plan to let it grow out for a while, but I like the look of this tree, and the new growth is already popping
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