The Art of Bonsai

This twin trunk Eastern larch, Larix laricina, was found on a bog in Northern Michigan and collected in the fall of 1985 and placed into a growing bed. It was potted into this container and has remained there for the last 19 years. It is repotted every two or three years. At the time of…

This twin trunk Eastern larch, Larix laricina, was found on a bog in Northern Michigan and collected in the fall of 1985 and placed into a growing bed. It was potted into this container and has remained there for the last 19 years. It is repotted every two or three years. At the time of…

This planting was done as a demonstration for the Ann Arbor Bonsai Society in August of 1989. The individual plants were container grown for several years from bird seeded cotoneasters found in my back yard. Although the time of year was wrong for transplanting, the show went on, and the plants were bare rooted, root…

This plant was purchased in 1993. The tree is easy to grow and is not susceptible to insect problems. It likes to be kept moist but not constantly wet. It is fertilized when in active growth. It can be brought into flower by removing all the leaves and about 3 weeks later flowers will form…

This tree was purchased in Taiwan in 1989 and shipped by air to the United States. It has lived very happily in my greenhouse for these years. It has been encouraged to develop secondary and tertiary branching and a general refinement of its structure. The trunk has seemingly not grown but the branches have thickened…

Fortunella hindsii or Hong Kong Kumquat is in the citrus family of plants. It tolerates pot culture better than many of the other plants in the citrus family. I purchased this tree as a seedling about 18 years ago from a Florida grower. The species is seen frequently in the Kokufu Ten Japanese picture books…

This Ficus was purchased from a nursery in Taiwan and imported into the USA. It has a very powerful trunk and root flare. Much work has been done on this tree over many years to improve its form. There are signs of multiple grafts to improve the branch structure and grafts done to heal over…

This Ficus salicaria (F. salicifolia, nerifolia, neriifolia, Willow Leaf Ficus, etc.) is in the banyan style. The tree is approximately 40 years of age, and was grown and trained by the famous Ficus grower Jim Smith of Vero Beach Florida. I acquired the tree from Jim in 1999. The banyan style is one in which…