Category: Classroom Corner

Some recent classes have seen trees arrive that just needed a little bit of pruning or tweaking. Here are some before and after pictures just to give you some idea of the work we have been doing.

This month I have managed to fit in some private classes. These before and after pictures are from one of the classes. The trees had been growing really well so it was nice to be able to do a bit of pruning and get them back in to shape. It’s surprising what a difference a […]

When you are seeking to improve the shape of your trees sometimes you need to reflect on that broad triangular canopy that you associate with both mature parkland trees and established mature bonsai. As your trees continue to grow and develop every so often you will need to intervene and retrieve the shape of its […]

A simple wiring and opening out of the branches to reveal an impressive shohin bonsai with a powerful trunk and a bright future.

John brought a few plantings of young Beech trees to the class. They were a bit insignificant on their own so we decided to bring them together to form a larger forest planting. A simple transformation from basic material into something that can now develop into an excellent forest planting which we can continue to […]

Full marks to Ian for having the vision to create his slab base and selecting the tree that was ideally suited to the task. I was just happy to help along the way in bringing his idea to fruition. The real beauty about this creation is that the materials used were relatively basic, the technique […]

I feel we have made real progress with this tree today. The conflict between the upper and lower sections of the tree has been dealt with. The way forward is now with a smaller more impressive half cascade shohin size tree. This has all the makings of a really good bonsai.

The tree now has a pleasing triangular silhouette in scale with the trunk and the trees overall size. Spaces and foliage clouds are now clearly defined and visible ready for more compact development and refinement. The lower left hand branch is a little heavy at the moment and slightly out balances the tree. This whole […]

Introducing more light and air into the canopy is vital for the tree’s future well-being. Once again I make no apologies for the tree’s scraggy and a little unkempt appearance. The tree is not being exhibited…..I don’t need immaculate well groomed foliage. What I do need is to retain sufficient strong foliage growth at the […]