Bonsai Odds & Ends – BC, Oak, Maple
I started working on this Bald cypress, Taxodium distichum, last year. The idea was to get a branch set going, and to select and position a new leader to continue the trunk to a final apex. This photo was taken on 12/28/18. Nice fall color, but the tree had...
It’s Go Time – Trees Are Waking Up
I first noticed it last weekend. Bald cypress is one of the first species to start pushing buds in spring or, technically, late winter - all it takes is some unseasonably warm weather. Well, that's just what we've been getting, with temperatures reaching...
BC Collecting Trip #3
Today was our third BC collecting trip of the season. It could well be the last - many BC are budding out now, including some we collected in early January. I have successfully collected Cypress after budding, but the longer you wait the riskier it gets. So...
2019 BC Collecting Trip #2
We had another good Bald cypress collecting trip today. Here's the take, waiting for cleanup.Here's a nice buttressed specimen that's not too big. I specifically searched today for nice material in the mid-size range. The trunk on this one is 4" across about...
2019 BC Collecting Trip #1
Bald cypress should be in every bonsai enthusiast's collection. But even more, a collected Bald cypress bonsai should be in everyone's collection. BC is one of our specialties at Bonsai South. Each year we do our best to find and lift really high quality raw...
A Few Trees At Year-End
Chinese elm, Ulmus parvifolia, is commonly called Lacebark elm. This common name was given due to the fact that the species exfoliates its bark annually, revealing a lovely underlayer with a nice orangey-salmonish color. I was cleaning up this specimen today...
A Big BC For 2019
We're getting close to Bald cypress collecting season for 2019, so I thought it would be a good time to take a look at a tree I've had on the bench for a couple of years. This is a big boy. The trunk is 6" across 6" above the soil, and it's 26" to the chop. ...
Bald Cypress #68
Taxodium distichum Collect date: 1/20/18 Trunk base: 5" (5" above the soil) Height to chop: 26" Final height (est.): 36" Estimated age: 50-65 years Years in training: 1 Estimated release date: 4/15/22 Bald cypress #68 Video #1
Water-Elm Collecting Trip 3
Today we got an earlier start so we could beat the heat. We also benefited from cloud cover during most of the lifting. The results would have been just as good, but it's always nice when you don't have to suffer so much. Let's start off with this clump-style...
Here’s Something Expected, And Something Unexpected
We've been following along with the development of this Crape myrtle, Lagerstroemia indica, for a couple of months now. It's a small specimen that I made from a venerable old Crape left to me by my friend Allen Gautreau. I love the trunk of this literati bonsai, and...