Larch trees can make beautiful bonsai specimens! They have delicate foliage that turns a lovely golden colour in the autumn, which adds to their appeal as bonsai. When styling a larch bonsai, you can emphasize its naturally elegant shape and create a miniature version of its majestic appearance in nature.
Read MoreHints for those bringing materials for display
Read MoreThe Shimpaku Juniper is native to Japan, the Kurile Island and the Sahalin Peninsula. It prefers rocky, well-drained soils. In its natural range, it is most often found growing near the sea. The foliage is needle-like on young trees and scale-like on older trees. The fruit is a small, hard, bluish berry. One of the best characteristics of Shimpaku is its hard resinous wood; ideal for advanced sculptural techniques such as jin, shari and sabamiki.
Read MorePruning leaves to induce a new flush of finer growth. Bonsai defoliation involves cutting all, or some, the leaves of a tree during the summer. In doing so you force the tree to grow new leaves, leading to a reduction in the size of leaves and an increase in ramification.
Read MoreDefoliation is the complete or partial removal of the leaves of a bonsai tree. The technique is used to reduce the leaf size thus making the replacement leaves smaller and in better scale to the tree's size. Defoliation is often done 3 weeks prior to exhibiting or photographing the tree. Another benefit of defoliation is the increase in branch ramification that occurs with defoliation.
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