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  1. amkhalid

    Major changes for an old tamarack

    I love hearing the history of old bonsai, so I thought you guys might as well. This tree was collected ca. 1995 by John Biel in preparation for the IBC '97 convention in Toronto. Dozens of cedars and larches were collected to be used as workshop material for that event, and afterwards they...
  2. amkhalid

    Significant work on a large thuja occidentalis

    This tree was collected in 2013 and I only recently decided to make it a cascade. This weekend we bent the heavy jin flush with the trunk, and I did the initial structural wiring. A long way to go, but I am happy to have a defined goal for this challenging piece of material. Summer 2015 after...
  3. amkhalid

    Chuhin tamarack from this spring

    The pot is an old-ish yamaaki. Its nice when the one cone the tree produces is in the perfect spot :) I didn't collect this tree, I acquired it in winter 2013 as shown:
  4. amkhalid

    Just collected a sweet mugo

    From a parking lot perimeter where the plows pile the snow year after year. Treated it as a balled-and-burlapped nursery tree. Just dug a rootball and planted it in a growing bed with minimal disturbance. If it survives I will plant it in a container in Spring 2016. In my experience this is a...
  5. amkhalid

    Small Thuja occidentalis

    About 30cm to top of spire, collected Spring 2011, Shibakatsu pot.
  6. amkhalid

    Hard to design this Thuja occidentalis

    This tree was collected in 2010 and this week got it's first real wiring. There is still lots of growing and cutting to do to replace the remaining floppy foliage with the nice tight stuff, but it is about half way there. The thinning and wiring is an important step to getting there. This...
  7. amkhalid

    Canadian Hemlock aka Eastern Hemlock, Tsuga canadensis as Bonsai

    This is the first tree I ever collected, over eight years ago now. The development of this tree has been one step forward, two steps back. There is limited information out there on T. canadensis and I’ve only seen two that could be called bonsai (this tree isn’t one of them). This is probably...
  8. amkhalid

    Sinuous Twin Trunk Thuja occidentalis

    This thuja was collected Spring 2013. I am in love with the lines of this tree. It is healthy and I will probably do some initial pruning and branch placement this summer. As of now it is absolutely untouched except for trimming away the numerous dead twigs that all Thuja come with. Obviously...
  9. amkhalid

    Korean Hornbeam

    This hornbeam was purchased some 8 years ago from forum member Chuhin. Yesterday I pruned back the apex, wired the secondary branches and some of the thinner primary branches. It still has a long way to go, especially the left side, but it is finally making progress. The pot is by Nick Lenz...
  10. amkhalid

    What are your thoughts on this new pot for my Potentilla?

    The old pot cracked over the winter, but regardless I bought this new pot specifically for this tree months ago. Potentilla yamadori evoke the feeling of a juniper... yet they are a flowering deciduous shrub. Which makes pot choices difficult. So I went from simple unglazed rectangle to uber...
  11. amkhalid

    Small American Larch Forest Wired

    This forest is about 30 cm tall. I did not create it, but have been working hard to maintain and improve it since I acquired it in 2012. I think the layout of this forest is brilliant, I have a ton of respect for my friend who originally made it years ago.
  12. amkhalid

    Can anyone ID the maker of this pot?

    It has stumped me and others, despite having a rather unique stamp.
  13. amkhalid

    Wanted to share this larch

    I am watching this tree for my friend for awhile and wanted to share a crappy pic. Larch get a lot of well-deserved love on this forum, and this is one of my favorites. It is one of the most well ramified and rugged old larches I know of, with a lovely classic design. Not perfect, but still...
  14. amkhalid

    Larch Forest After Ice Storm

    Larch Forest After Ice Storm (Updated)
  15. amkhalid

    Huge Collected Thuja occidentalis

    This big boy was collected in April. All the pictures except the last are from April hence the drab foliage (last pic is today). Can't really get better pics as it is still tucked away in a corner under shade cloth, and I can't even come close to moving the thing by myself. Definitely a cool...
  16. amkhalid

    Sandblasting Thuja Deadwood

    Sandblasting seems popular in some bonsai circles. I've always wanted to try sandblasting Thuja occidentalis deadwood since there are so many intricate details covered in stubborn dead bark that is very difficult to remove by hand. It can be done, but it is practically impossible to preserve the...
  17. amkhalid

    Skeleton Potentilla

    This old collected Potentilla is now a shadow of what it used to be, with most of the deadwood having crumbled away due to rot brought on by neglect before I owned it. This summer I finally stabilized what little intact wood remains, and settled on a new more compact design after completely...
  18. amkhalid

    Patina on American Pots

    I'm wondering if anyone has examples of American made pots that show some patina. I've seen some unglazed American pots that have been in constant use for 2-3 decades and show no apparent patina. Yet own some apparently 2-3 decade old Japanese pots with significant patina. I wonder why this...
  19. amkhalid

    I don't like tropicals

    ... but I need something to stare at during the winter. This 18" Portulacaria is my only one. Still, considering trying to sell it this year. Yesterday 2007, nursery tree after initial cutback Thanks for looking.
  20. amkhalid

    Juniperus squamata 'Blue Alps'

    I've posted this tree here several times but here is an update after recent work.
  21. amkhalid

    Thuja occidentalis restyle

    I acquired this lovely collected Thuja at a Toronto club sale last month. It has been in bonsai training for around 7 years and has been maintained very well as far as cedars go (i.e. not excessively pinched). As a result, there was an abundance of fine twigs which could be detail wired and the...
  22. amkhalid

    Pinching a Yew

    I've been developing this Taxus cuspidata from nursery stock since 2006. It is now at the point where I want to slow it down and discourage coarse growth, so I pinched the spring growth today. Kinda sad... the spring growth of yew is one of the most colourful things in my garden right now as...
  23. amkhalid

    If you keep larches...

    Surely you've heard of borers. It can be easy to let your guard down against these devastating pests since they live secret lives. Nick Lenz stresses that they are a great risk for newly collected trees.However, they also pose a risk for old established bonsai, as my friend and bonsai...
  24. amkhalid

    Anther craggy collected tamarack

    I love dynamic trees, and am really looking forward to working with this one.
  25. amkhalid

    Old Tamarck Stretches Its Legs

    This guy was collected last year and barely made it. Came out with few roots. Over 50% of the branches died, but fortunately nothing that couldn't be replaced. Still needs recovery time, but I enjoy studying raw material. One of the two trunks needs to go. Its a big decision that I will take...
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