Yesterday was my first one-on-one workshop for 2019. We got a lot of work done, mostly on three large BCs. This is a great time of year to do just about everything bonsai. Problem is, it’s hard to get it all done!

Right now in my garden we’ve completed first flush, and than invariably means trees that need a first trimming for the season. Below we check in on my big Riverflat hawthorn (I really need to name this tree).

This tree continues to rock along. Last year it got a new, larger home that suits the tree perfectly. And it’s clearly happy; the elongted shoots tell the tale.

A couple minutes of work later, here we are.

This is one of those trees I could study all day long. I never get tired of it.

Spring is also the time for making new bonsai. I had a great time today putting together a couple of new three-tree Parsley hawthorn groups. These smaller specimens naturally lend themselves to this style of bonsai.

And one more. There are two things to remember when you’re creating forests of tall trees: one, be sure that your tallest tree(s) have their foliage concentrated in the upper half to third of the trunk; and two, don’t let the branch spread get out of hand. If you observe these two rules, your trees will look quite mature and believeable.

All in all, it was a great bonsai weekend. The weather was great, and the trees even better.