zach’s personal collection
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Read About the Bonsai in Zach’s Collection
bald cypress
Some Things That Are Waking Up
Each winter there are certain specimens of certain species that decide to wake early from dormancy. It just takes a little warmth and sunshine, and they start popping buds. We just finished up Bald cypress collecting season last week. This one was collected two...
BC Collecting Trip #5 For 2020
Yesterday we wrapped up Bald cypress collecting season. The winter collecting season (this far south) is driven largely by the weather. Ours has seen some warm spells, and despite a few mornings near freezing it's just not been enough to keep these trees from...
BC Collecting Trip #4 For 2020
Today was BC collecting trip #4 for 2020. As usual, we had great luck. This may be my favorite specimen from today's group. Some BC's just have that flat-top look, and this is one of them. The base is 4" and it's chopped at 30", which will make a tall and...
Read About the Bonsai in Zach’s Collection
huckleberry
Trying Stuff = Getting Better At Bonsai
Unless you are strictly into bonsai as a connoisseur, meaning you collect bonsai and have a visiting or resident artist/curator maintain them for your viewing pleasure, you can't ever ever stop trying and learning stuff. Now, don't take that to mean you should learn...
I Love This Tree, It Just Keeps Getting Better
My great Riverflat hawthorn, Crataegus opaca, is finishing up year six in my care. The leaves will be off the tree soon, but just as the deciduous tree gives us different looks throughout the year I like this in-between one too. For those of you who haven't worked...
God Bless The Ever-Reliable Crape Myrtle
Living in the Deep South has some advantages. Fall color on bonsai trees is not one of them. So imagine my surprise when I noticed this guy last evening Lovely fall color, right? Crapes tend to produce fall color down here when most other deciduous species just end...
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riverflat hawthorn
Don’t Ignore Problems At This Time Of Year
As the growing season comes to an end, we have certain chores we do to prepare for winter. Deciduous trees are either in full color or already dropping foliage. Watering needs decline from two or three times daily to once every few days. Cold frames are getting...
How About What This Hawthorn Did?
Riverflat hawthorn, Crataegus opaca, is one of my favorite species for bonsai. They take well to pot culture, grow roots fast and have small leaves. When old enough, they get a nice rough bark. What's not to like? I grew this specimen from a cutting struck in...
One Of The Big Trees I’m Keeping, An Awesome Bald Cypress
In keeping with the weekend's theme, I wanted to update you on one of the big trees I'm keeping, an awesome Bald cypress (Taxodium distichum). The last time I blogged on this one was in July. July is Bald cypress defoliation season. If your tree is in good...
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willow oak
Hawthorn Gets New Home. Nice!
If you've spent any time browsing through our site, you've seen my awesome Riverflat hawthorn (Crataegus opaca). After several years, this tree is really well developed and frankly is one of my all-time favorites. One thing I've come to realize over the past...
The Harvest Is Underway
With the new year only nine days away, and with some time to spare today (after wrapping Cathy's Christmas present), I decided to lift a few trees and get a head-start on the season. Estimated Age: 35-50 years A couple of weeks ago I lifted two huckleberries to see if...
Getting Ready For 2018
Now that winter has set in, it's time to begin working on the 2018 growing season. The "official" collecting season begins on January 1 and goes through about March. Sometimes the weather throws this schedule off, but most of the time it's a reliable 12 weeks during...
we love your input
Hi Zach,
When is the next availability of Bald Cypress. I live in Michigan.
I would like to get one booked.
I am retired from the bonsai business, Aby. Sorry.
Is bald cypress Cypressbonsai20 available for sale?
so this is the 1st time in a while I’ve been to the site just showing it off and im super impressed.
Thank you, Josh!
Zach, I see you train bonsai BC in flat top style but am not sure what to picture. Is it supposed to mimic a tree that lost its conical top from wind damage or lightning? Does it look like a bald head with hair/branches growing out from the sides only? Do you have finished ones like this to show as an example?
Thanks, Danny
Danny, the so-called flat-top Bald cypress is simply an older tree that has lost most of its lower branches as it’s grown taller and older, and having reached its genetically limited height the growth in the crown spreads laterally. Check out this post to get an idea of one in training.