styling

Hey everybody, Very new to this hobby, but am not stranger to cacti and houseplants. Found this at a SoCal big box store and grabbed it since they're not really all over. I made my first simple bonsai with a small nana and it looks very cliché, so already looking for more. Got some wire today...

Just recently finished the 1st initial structure styling of this Yew. Here's a before and after. I know it's really basic and needs trimmed and detail wiring but that can wait. Thinking I should let it recover all next year and do repot in 23. It was a learning experience for sure. Definitely...

Hi all! First time poster here… I bought a black monkey thorn from a nursery 10 days ago. The tree was in dire need of some TLC so I decided it should come home with me. (When my husband saw it, he said it’s the ugliest thing he’s ever seen). I repotted it in a plastic container with bonsai...

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...

Hi everyone, I just gave this pine a first styling. I’m quite new to pine trees. Can you guys give me tips about aftercare? so: fertilize? Sun? Water? Etc. thanks a lot!

I have this Escambron I recently got from Puerto Rico and could use some advice. I like the general shape of the tree, but I think it could be better. My biggest issue is the main lowest branch as it just seems like a jumbled mess with the primary branch being too long and not bendable. Thoughts...

New to bonsai and nervous about removing large branches. The first picture shows the slight S bend I'd like to use as the front but there's a branch (1) near the top that may detract from the trunk line. My bigger problem is the lower branches. I can't decide which ones to keep! Second picture...

Hello everyone! I know that one of the biggest beginner mistakes is over styling trees. So I haven’t styled too much yet, but from what I have done, I don’t think I’m doing it the “correct” way. But I’m ok with that. I’m trying to follow the rules, but for the most part I’m just trimming and...

I recently chopped a new maple a few inches above the final chop location. I've heard from videos and the forum that it's common to do a rough chop first, wait a year, and then do the final chop at the angle you want and (usually) pretty close to your selected new leader. Does chopping in...

Here’s a general conversation starter for this evening: What’s your favorite tree when it comes to an abundance of growth/branching/ramification/taper/root flare options during a single growing season? I’m not talking about shortcuts or looking for something that grows fast (and dies fast), so...

Hello, my Xylosma bahamensis is about to go into its new pot here soon, getting rewired, and pruned. I was looking for opinions regarding styling it, as I am struggling on the lower left branches and the canopy. Any thoughts? Open to suggestions.

Today I purchased a Juniper from a local nursery garden and fell in love with its movement. After some pretty hard pruning and a bit of wiring, I managed to get this unique shape and movement. Some Redditors have recommended that I prune it back more, which I agree with but am unsure as to how...

Hey everyone!👋 I thought I would make a poll to determine the best possible front/style for this Acer Palmatum 'Little Princess' I got for 60€ from a local nursery! Since I'm very new to bonsai, I'm not entirely sure if it's the best bonsai material, but the nebari seemed promising and the...

Looking for some opinions on this little guy I picked up this winter. It's got this big ugly knot on top and the branches are less than ideal. Its got a great and base tho! Thought I would get some opinions before I proceed. Chop most the top off or work with what is there?

Hello everyone! I'm new to Bonsai and I need help with my first Pre-Bonsai, I've only been shaping 2 year old trees until now. The tree is a 20cm (about 7.8 inches) 17 year old Juniperus Chinensis. I know the bonsai styling choices are very personal, so I'd like to ask what the first thing that...

Here she is after her first styling in the early fall of 2020. It took me three days but I'm really happy with the results. This was my first time using copper wire (thanks Mirai!)

Deep Sea Diver here. Since I’ve been volunteering at the Pacific Bonsai Museum for the better part of a year, I figured that I’d post some of the jobs the volunteers do over this year to give folks what goes on behind the scenes at the Museum. Some of you have seen my first job, debarking a...

Hi guys, first post in this forum. I received this maple, repoted today and i dont know what to do. some sugestions?

Hi! I'm an 18 years old italian guy and I'm into bonsai since 2016. That's my first thread ever on this forum and I'm so excited. I want to show you a brief evolution of this mame juniper that was gifted to me from a friend in 2018. It was already a 3 years old cutting. Unfortunately I don't...

Title says it all. When a tree is not a conifer, will the leaves eventually turn their top side up to reach for the light by themselves? I am trying NOT to twist the wire alongside the lenght of those branches.

I collected this double stem douglas fir in spring 2020 and grew it in this ugly plastic pot I had lying around. It grew very vigorously this year and with some light pruning and pinching I am starting to get some good back-budding. I would like to wire and style it this fall but I am unsure of...

I've often wondered what folks do with their trees that have suffered an untimely death.... So this is a thread asking folks to show and tell what they do with a dead tree. In my case, I was involved in helping a tree become reincarnated into a poignant exhibit commemorating its life. The...

Hello guys, I’m have posted a few times regarding my JWP. I got it a month ago and now I’m planning what I would like it to look like. I’m a little lost for ideas if I’m being honest, I have looked online for inspiration but the look is quite different to other JWP I see. i was thinking about...

Hey all. Still very new to bonsai, but I stopped by a nursery and fell in love with some grey owl junipers. And I feel like they were a super good bargain?! (Under 20$ each) Tell me what you think? Good for bonsai? Bad? What I should start with? I know they’re not in like great condition but I...

Hi everybody, I'm a complete beginner to the art of bonsai and for my first tree I bought a japanese bloodgood maple which I thought had an interesting trunk shape. I wanted to ask for some opinions on styling from those with a more experienced eye than me before doing anything to it. A couple...