literati

Wasn't sure why I put this sucker I pulled out from under my lilac shrubs in a pot, until now. Had a tiny Paul Katich (Bellota) pot laying around... Begin: Bend 1 by my 6 year old daughter: Bend 2 by my 4 year old son: And more squishing by me: Let's pot it, because why not...

I think this might be my first post on this forum… started my bonsai journey about 2/3 years ago with a Hinoki starting set from Deshima. After watching countless video’s online, quietly lurking this forum and reddit and doing a bonsai beginner’s course at Deshima bonsai I decided I wanted to...

Started this from cuttings a few years ago. Working towards small branching and leaves at the tops.

Found this Chinese Tallow growing in a nearby ditch last year. I've read that Tallows don't do well in pots so we'll see how long this lasts.

I’ve had this tree for awhile, but decided to finally make a post for it. When I originally received it, it was poorly wrapped and secured in the shipping box and got pulled out of the pot it was in. I reset it in the pot it came in and added some support with a wooden block. It ended up...

Used Bloom fertilizer last fall and winter. Had many more flowers this year. After the blooms I'll once again prune. Also in a much smaller pot this year.

Hey all! In zone 9b-ish microclimate West L.A. Have a juniper I took over recently and restyled and potted. Previous owner said it was fertilized early winter and seemed to be pumping out some good growth. I’ve had some funky whitish die back on the crown… given it superthrive, seaweed extract...

New here and wanted to start with my newest project; for background (briefly) I've loved the art for more than 30 years and had at one time a lovely collection, a house fire managed to kill off the majority of my trees and theft of my surviving spruce forest killed my desire to invest any more...

Went over to a couple of hardware stores at lunch to do my final sale hunt. Got 5 trees (Pinus sylvestris?) and settled on the one below. I see some people submitting a couple of trees and deciding to pick the winner later? Can you confirm if that's ok @Eckhoffw ? I was planning on doing some...

Just put this in blue and white porcelain pot. It's a yardadori I collected a few years back.

Juniperus Virginiana (Eastern Red Cedar) penjing after some wiring Sept. 2023

110 cm (44") tall. It was difficult to get it entirely in the picture and focused. Needs many more years of age and development.

Hi all, I’m looking for some tips on long term progression of red maple saplings. I harvested this sapling from a field last year and it’s overwintered wonderfully buried in this plastic pot. Because of the angle that it’s growing, I want to eventually show this as a shohin semicascade, but at...

Repotted in February into a pot that it could be wired into place better. Also made it a little more upright. It's 22 inches tall but was around 10 feet tall when collected in 2020.

I got this 40+ year old boxwood yamadori rescued from an old seawall on a lake about 2 years ago. Base is massive and partially rotted away. I cut hard to try and get backbudding down the trunk a bit with not much success. Needs wiring down and building an apex. Any tips or thoughts?

Eastern Redcedar Literati 45 cm tall

30+ years old with added growth and blossoms in 2022! Will prune back when blossoms are finished.

38 inches tall - 30+ years old My father planted this tree in the back yard in the early 90's. It was slowly dying. I fertilized it for a year and eventually collected it when it seemed to be healthier in 2021.

Two versions of this tree, as it is now and a virtual, taking off the lower left branch. I think it feels lighter and more elegant without the branch, but my concern is with the health of the tree; too little foliage and junipers struggle. Should I jin it anyway and hope for the best? As it is...

So I recently purchased this rather large Escambron that was collected from Puerto Rico about 8+ years ago from a gentleman in Florida. I do really like it (even if it doesn't follow the rules of Bonsai all the way), but could use some styling advice. I have gone ahead and started on some of the...

One of my favorite books purchased last year was Zhao Qingquan‘s “Literati Style Penjing”. The forms created are so wonderfully elegant and has largely made up my bonsai tastes of late. Slender trunks with aged branching and live veins feel more appropriately natural for me here in northern New...

Got this little shimpaku last year. When I bought it, it wasn't in very good shape. Very pot bound, lots of yellow foliage. I repotted it last summer and nursed it back to health. The branches are getting a bit leggy. I just cleaned it it up a bit, opening the canopy to get some more light and...

Did my first literati on a Japanese black pine. The main branch was split vertically all the way to the point where the raffia wrap ends. Diameter of the trunk is 2 inches and I used 6 mm wire. Let me know what you think. Thanks!

Hey all! First off I'll just say I know it needs better soil, but Ive been wondering if I need to ground layer new roots a little higher. Just did my first major styling work of this Loropetalum. I got it as a gift from a landscaper friend about a year and a half ago and started working toward...

My girlfriend has heard me drone on about my love for the american beech and how I’d love one in my collection. An early xmas present arrived today. Fagus Grandifolia! So incredibly excited (also have several scoped out for collection in spring) ... however, I’m not sold on the literati approach...