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Leaves vary a lot
One interesting thing to know is that Ficus leaves can vary greatly. They can vary in size, shape, texture, color etc. They even can vary on the same plant or whether the plant is growing strongly or just slowly. Growing figs from seed reveals also that almost every seedling shows some subtle or not so…
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Ficus glumosa, uncommon bonsai
An uncommonly found Ficus species, Ficus glumosa is from Africa and has nice round, hairy leaves. It is in the grouping of rock-splitter figs. Those that seem to be found growing over and around rocks in the veldt. Since they seem to enjoy rock growing this seedling was placed over the rock to emulate a…
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Ficus salicaria, Willow Leaf fig
One of the best small leaf fig species to use for bonsai is the Willow Leaf fig, scientifically called Ficus salicaria. It has many great features including aerial roots and wide-spreading surface roots. One possible issue is that it does not like having roots that stay too wet. Water the tree well and make sure…
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The Edible Fig, Ficus carica
Ficus carica, the edible fig, is grown throughout the world for its delicious sweet figs. It prefers growing in climate areas that have some sort of resting season, either from cooler winter temperatures or a dry season. I have tried growing it in a tropical greenhouse without a proper cool or dry period and found…
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Playing with images to design your tree
One thing that I find very useful is to photograph my trees on a regular basis. This allows me to see how the trees progress over time and lets me photographically change the images to see if a better design emerges from the image manipulations. A series of pictures to illustrate how the design might…
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Twisting and Turning
When presented with material that is young and lacks interesting features I will search for ones that have twists and turns. Great bonsai can be created from this rather unexciting material. Using wire to shape long and limber pieces is another way to introduce interesting shapes. Another way is to use root cuttings that often…