progression

Today I bought a 3" trunk diameter Dwarf Blue Scots Pine nursery tree. This will be a long term project and it is my first Scots. I suspect this is grafted but I have yet to see an obvious union mark. I did a tiny bit of digging around the trunk and found field soil with some fine feeder...

I obtained this tree for about $10 as a rooted cutting in a 4" nursery pot. The sapling was planted in pumice and scoria. June 2014: After purchase, I slip potted it into an 8" round nursery pot. March 2015: May 2015, showing a lack-of-water mishap: (and/or bad repotting aftercare) 2015...

Just a little tree I've been screwing around with for a while - nothing amazing, but its been fun so far. Here are a couple of teasers while I find the 2014 photos . . .

Hey nuts, Today I wanted to start a thread on the mores nigra I've had since april 2015. I'm actually quite pleased with the progression of this tree in just 2 growing seasons. Here's as I acquired it the 19th of april last year. Here it is pruned back and repotted into pumice and seramis...

This is a progression post for my Lacebark pine. Here is a brief history up until now: Purchased 2008 Repotted from 3 gallon in nursery soil to bonsai mix 2009 All branches shortened close to trunk Spring 2010 Tree given to friend from Fall 2009 to Winter 2012 (shoved in ground and neglected)...

Calocedrus decurrens is not a common bonsai subject but I'm giving it a go with two volunteer seedlings. It's a native tree, here, so that's part of my enthusiasm for the species. With this particular tree I am attempting to replicate the candelabra form I have seen in photos and out in some of...

On this tree I plan to continue studying the finely ramified, triangular canopy, shohin Shimpaku informal upright shtick. I want a twisted trunk and stunning dead wood to be important features, as if this were more of a yamadori-inspired tree. I am intending at least 3–5 years of further...

This thread will track my progression of Shimpaku juniper nursery stock into an informal upright shohin bonsai. I'm targeting a final height of 6–8 inches and I'm planning to grow almost an entirely new canopy. This is a multi-year project. Obtained June 2015 in a 1-gallon nursery pot for...

So I bought this Holly last week and could not resist cutting it back, I know the timing wasn't the best but I know these are pretty vigorous and I think it could make it through the winter even if it doesn't push out any more growth this year. Winterberries, for whatever reason, are one of...

Bought this yew at the box store, not a good time to do work on them I think,but wanted to practice. Got inspired from Rob C.'s 5 year progression on one of his yews. Took alot of foliage off to see what's doing. Made a jin, and tried to see the tree with in. And that's what I came up...

I've purchased another native North American nursery specimen: a Pinus contorta contorta 'Spaan’s Dwarf' cultivar. I was feeling like taking a bit of a risk with my wallet and tools; it cost $84.99 for a specimen with 2.5" trunk diameter, 24" height, and healthy roots that fill a ~5 gallon...

Starting a thread for this bougie I picked up at a landscape nursery back in 2014. A little trunk movement, a bit of flare at the base, and wholesale pricing - I'm in!

Starting a thread on this one... From Brent at Evergreen Gardenworks in February 2014. As offered: And as it arrived: Potted:

Starting a thread on this maple from @Don Blackmond. I needed something to round out a shohin display, and this was an interesting addition. I bought it in leaf, but here are some shots from before I bought it.

I recently dug up this bush from my yard. It was planted by the former homeowner in clay-heavy soil and several winters of ice storms had made a mess of this quince. I think it’s a Chaenomeles japonica because the flowers are red, the leaves are thin, it has large thorns, and the bark is...

April 2012 Collected as a seedling in Portland, OR. May 2013 Basic wire training. April 2014 It continues to be my most productive seedling. I upgraded it from a 1 to 2 gallon pot; to the left is a white birch volunteer. June 2014 One of the growth tips would get a fungal infection...

April 2012 Seedlings collected in Portland, OR. April 2014 This was a larger pot with way too much sand and bark compost. June 2014 Repotted. May 2015 January 2016 I repotted this tree into a 7-gallon grow bag with diatomaceous gravel and pumice. For aesthetic purposes I trimmed...

April 2012 Seedlings collected in Portland, OR June 2014 Potted in pumice, perlite, and composted bark. July 2014 March 2015 The tree received osmocote, humic acid, and granulated azomite. January 2016 I repotted this tree into a 7-gallon grow bag with diatomaceous gravel and pumice...

May 2012 Found discarded at a curb in the city. February 2014 March 2015 The fertilizer is Osmocote 14-14-14. October 2015 December 2015 After a heavy prune back to the first or second internodes. I removed each of the above-soil roots at left and right because they were weak, too...

April 2014 Purchased for $49.99 in a 10-gallon nursery pot. I’m planning to develop this into a formal upright. March 2015 I had wired most branches slightly downward in 2014 and started on some major branch selection. April 2015 The branches make nice foliage pads with prolific...

June 2014 Purchased for $12, labeled as a Green Mound Dwarf Juniper March 2015 Slip potted into a 3-gallon pot with soil at an approximate ratio of 2 parts diatomaceous earth, 1 part medium pine bark, and 1 part pumice. Fed with Osmocote 14-14-14. June 2015 I moved this into a ceramic pot...

April 2014 I collected this seedling from under a mature specimen. I am developing it into a formal upright. May 2015 update June 2015 I repotted with white pumice, red lava rock, and diatomaceous earth as the new media. The tree received ecto mycorrhizal inoculants, humic acid, and azomite...

Here is an Arakawa variety of JBP from Telperion farms. I bought it a year ago and have spent the growing season looking at different options. It has fantastic bark, a nice base, good movement and taper...and plenty of well-placed branches to work with. Pretty sure this will be the front when...

This Hachi-Gen was one of about 8 cultivars I worked with. I bought it because it was cutting-grown. It came from Brent Walston's Evergreen Gardenworks. Here is the description from his catalog: Pinus thunbergii 'Hachi Gen' (Cork Bark Black Pine) We obtained this cultivar from Ken Sugimoto...

I couldn't find a thread on this one, so here is a new one. I bought this Chinese Quince in 2006 on eBay, from Sebastapol CA (first photo). It went in the ground in 2007, and stayed there 8 years, unattended, with the exception of several trunk chops. I wish I would have chopped the second...