zach’s personal collection
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progressions
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Read About the Bonsai in Zach’s Collection
bald cypress
Portrait Time – Hawthorn, Oak, Elm
portrait time - hawthorn, oak, elmSneak PeekThere's nothing like the combination of spring, sunny weather and nicely developed bonsai.Portrait Time - Hawthorn, Oak, Water-ElmWell, after the winter we had it does your heart good to see your trees responding to spring. ...
Formal Upright Bald Cypress – Development 101
formal upright bald cypress - development 101Sneak PeekTo begin with the beginning of a formal upright BC (or most every style), you must do one thing....Formal Upright Bald Cypress - Development 101I have found that the collected formal upright Bald cypress is much...
Bonsai Odds & Ends – Rip, Swamp Maple, Ginkgo, Surprise
bonsai odds & ends - rip, swamp maple, ginkgo, surpriseSneak PeekSpring is in full force, and there's lots going on around here. Today it's worth checking in on 'Rip van Winkle' the Willow oak, the Swamp maple and Ginkgo I potted late, and a surprise.Bonsai Odds...
Read About the Bonsai in Zach’s Collection
huckleberry
Willow Oak Progression
Zach's Personal Collection willow oakProgression Carousel Willow Oak INSTRUCTIONS: The image has an arrow on both the right and left side. Click the arrow on the right ( > ) to go forward and see the next image(s) in the progression. Click the arrow on the...
Big BC Update
I posted a progression on this tree at the end of last year. With spring now in full force, this specimen has exploded with growth. I repotted the tree last year, and was in hopes of big growth for 2019; but I had to wait. But that's fine. To make a good design...
Bonsai Odds & Ends – Huckleberry, Chinese Elm, Pocomoke Crape
Here's an update on my big Huckleberry bonsai that I potted this spring. As you can see, it has filled out with foliage. It's normal for Huckleberries to take three years to really get "bushy" with foliage: year one is typically all structure building, making...
Read About the Bonsai in Zach’s Collection
riverflat hawthorn
Bonsai Odds & Ends – Elm, Maple, Hawthorn
Spring is gathering speed now, and most everything on my benches (beech and most oaks are usually last) is coming into leaf. Water-elms also lag, so I took the opportunity today to pot up a couple of small ones. This is another of the trees that came home last...
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...
Huckleberry #5 Potted
Here's where we left off with Huckleberry #5. With the fall trimming and carving done, I set it back on the bench and got busy with other chores. Flower buds on my Huckleberries are swelling, and a few are already opening. With the mild winter, I expect these...
Read About the Bonsai in Zach’s Collection
willow oak
Rulebreaking 101 – Red Mulberry
rulebreaking 101 - red mulberrySneak PeakRules are made to be broken, right? Yes and no. When you break a rule of art, what you end up with had better be a lot better than if you'd stuck with the rule. In bonsai it's not any different ....Rulebreaking 101 - Red...
BC Forest – Would You?
bc forest - would you?Sneak PeakIt's common to have to redesign bonsai over time. A branch dies; you find a better front; and in the case of established forest plantings you lose trees, which have to be replaced. Here's one of those cases, and what I'm thinking of...
Willow Oak Progression
Zach's Personal Collection willow oakProgression Carousel Willow Oak INSTRUCTIONS: The image has an arrow on both the right and left side. Click the arrow on the right ( > ) to go forward and see the next image(s) in the progression. Click the arrow on the...
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.