• A New Year with Shohin Bonsai

    Happy New Year from me, Daisy and my family. We start again after a few days of laziness and jumping into a new year. A New Year is often said to be a new beginning. Here it is a new year with the same beginning.…

  • Rosa Eijitsu and Juniper deadwood

    Do you know what a Rose and a Juniper bonsai have in common? Why it makes sense to talk about two so different species at the same time? Why you should grow so different trees in your bonsai garden? One of the reasons I favour…

  • Cutting hard to start new Shohin bonsai

    There are numerous ways to start a Shohin bonsai. Buying finished or pre-shaped material is a fast method. Developing from seed is the slowest way. Then there is the in-between strategy which I have used a lot on deciduous trees especially. But also possible on…

  • LIVE Juniper Saturday at 11 AM CET

    Junipers are flexible in winter and therefore the timing is perfect for any wiring and rearranging of branches. We look into both adjustments on a shohin Juniperus Itoigawa and the natural styling of a medium-sized Juniperus chinensis. In bonsai, there are some work time windows…

  • Bonsai dreams versus reality

    Learning from books is fine. Learning from magazines is fine. Learning from online tutorials is fine. But when it all comes to an end, the importance of practice and learning through your own experience is maybe the most important and valuable part of your bonsai…

  • Hawthorn Shohin bonsai

    Shohin bonsai can be created from a broad spectre of trees and shrubs. One of the main themes in the Shohin world is the seasonal changes. To display this we need different species. From coniferous to flowering bonsai. The red flowering Hawthorn Every month I…

  • Itoigawa and Shimpaku shohin bonsai foliage

    Building foliage pads Do you pinch or cut? That is not without importance how you control the growth and timing is essential to build up healthy foliage pads. The Japanese varieties of soft scale leaf Junipers are popular for Shohin bonsai. And not without reason.…