The Bonsai Files
Your free access to general and how-to articles, The Bonsai Files. Detailed and filled with bonsai pictures, Zach shows you step-by-step how he designs bonsai and provides before, during, and after images.
The Bonsai Files
Elm Wednesday
elm wednesdaySneak PeekAs summer kicks into gear, it's time to prune and wire/re-wire your elms. Here are some trees that I'm working on.Elm WednesdayBack in April I hard-chopped this Water-elm to eliminate a straight section of trunk. The goal was to make a better...
Pasture Privet Parade
pasture privet paradeSneak PeekCow pastures are the best place to collect Chinese privet. Cattle browse the soft foliage, and in time this produces specimens with great character ....Pasture Privet Parade Did you know that cow pastures are the best place to...
Styling A Big Bald Cypress
styling a big bald cypressSneak PeakThe big collected Bald cypresses start out pretty much the same way. They recover pretty much the same way. Then comes that day when you dive in ....Styling A Big Bald CypressI acquired this big Bald cypress last month from...
Big Cedar Elm Update
big cedar elm updateSneak PeakIt's time to check in again on my big Cedar elm. I write often about the stick/stump to bonsai path. This is one of the best examples I have on my bench.Big Cedar Elm UpdateAbove is a shot of this tree as a stump, then this photo of the...
A Quick Take On Two Oaks
a quick take on two oaksSneak PeakOne of these trees you've seen before, the other you haven't. The Water oak was featured in a previous blog, the Live oak is just now getting strong enough to begin its bonsai journey. Here's where they are as of now.A Quick Take on...
Building A Small Tree By Building A Tall Tree
building a small tree by building a tall treeSneak PeakI've written before about using the sacrifice branch to thicken the trunk base of a tree while building the future bonsai. Here's another good example of this technique.Building a Small Tree By Building a Tall...
Fun With A Little Maple; And “The Octopus”?
fun with a little maple; and "the octopus"?Sneak PeakI work with a lot of large trees, as you know, but I have no problem growing seedlings and developing them into nice bonsai in their own right. It's all about using best practices and doing your best work,...
Bonsai Odds & Ends – Oak, Privet, Crape Myrtle
bonsai odds & ends - oak, privet, crape myrtleSneak PeakThis is the time of year to be doing rapid development of many of our trees, due to their robust growth. Here are a Water oak, a Chinese privet and a Crape myrtle that moved closer to "bonsai-ness" with a...
Finding The Right Tree For The Pot
finding the right tree for the potSneak PeakWhen we have a really nice tree in our collection, we want the perfect pot for it. And we may search for years until we find just the right pot. Much less often, we have a pot that we need to find the right tree for. ...