Bonsai is the art of dwarfing trees and growing them in containers. It’s often been referred to as a Japanese technique; however, it actually originated from an ancient Chinese horticultural practice more than a thousand years ago.
I am very fond of bonsai trees, and have nurtured many over the years. To make a bonsai, one can use cultivation techniques such as pruning, wiring, and repotting to shape a small tree to look like a miniature version of a full-sized specimen. Last week, my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, selected a juniper for this technique.
Enjoy these photos.
Junipers are a popular choice for bonsai trees. They are hardy, resilient, easy to prune, long lived, versatile, and once established, easy to maintain. It is the perfect choice for my next bonsai tree. In fact, do you know… the bonsai tree is the symbol of the Martha Stewart Center for Living at Mount Sinai Hospital? It was selected because the bonsai grows more beautiful and more valuable with age.
The first step is to cover the large drainage hole of the bonsai pot. Mesh is the standard material and is flexible enough to cut into shape. Mesh screens prevent soil loss, keep small animals out, and help prevent root rot.
Ryan cuts the mesh screen just big enough to cover the hole.
Junipers have small, blue-green, overlapping, scale-like prickly, and stiff needle-like leaves, which is great for creating a strong and striking bonsai tree.
Bonsai soil mixes are well-draining to allow both air and water to reach the roots. They are usually a combination of Akadama, a hard-baked Japanese clay specifically produced for bonsai purposes, organic potting compost, pumice and fine gravel or grit.
Ryan combines the elements together first. There are many pre-prepared bonsai soil mixes available, but mixing one’s own can save money and allows control over the exact mixture for the tree species.
Ryan fills the container about two-thirds with the soil mix. The best bonsai containers are shallow. Shallow pots limit the space available for the roots to spread out, which prevents the tree from growing too large.
The fertilizer is a granular food that can feed a number of different types of plants for up to three months.
Using a combination of different shears, Ryan begins to shape and prune the juniper. One can use garden scissors, twig cutters, branch cutters, wire cutters, and gin pliers to shape the bonsai
The key is to prune the roots and the foliage so the plant remains dwarfed.
Using wire around branches can also guide them to grow in the desired shape.
Annealed copper or anodized aluminum wire are best for bonsai. Aluminum wire is better when used for deciduous species, while the harder copper wire is best for conifers and pines. Ryan uses a sturdy gage copper wire to shape the branches.
He carefully wraps the wire around the branch while it is bent to the desired angle.
Blackie is nearby to watch.
Wiring is a key technique for shaping bonsai trees, but it’s important to use it correctly and monitor the tree closely during the growing season – be sure to remove the wires before it starts digging into the bark.
Ryan continues to trim off any excess growth, remove weak or crisscrossed branches, and any others that take away from the desired shape of the bonsai.
Once Ryan is pleased with the apprance, he adds more soil mix unti it reaches just below the rim of the container.
Here is the trimmed juniper bonsai. I think it will do very nicely in this pot.
Juniper bonsai trees are best kept outdoors in bright locations with lots of sunlight. Ryan brings the juniper bonsai to a sturdy table outside my Winter House.
It joins two other bonsai trees where I can see it every day.
Visiting local nurseries is a great way to learn about the plants and trees that thrive in one's area. It's also a wonderful opportunity to get expert advice on selecting, planting, and maintaining those specimens.
Earlier this week, my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, paid a brief visit to one of my favorite nurseries, Select Horticulture Inc. in Pound Ridge, New York to check on its current inventory. Select Horticulture offers an extensive collection of premium quality trees and shrubs, unusual and rare specimens, with both stand-alone and mature espaliered options. There's always something new and interesting to see.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
It was a mild and overcast late summer day – perfect for a quick stop at Select Horticulture Inc., to see what was in stock. Every row of trees and shrubs is always neat, tidy, and every item is properly identified. This is Tilia cordata Greenspire Cylinder, a Greenspire Littleleaf Linden. It’s a medium sized deciduous tree with a pyramidal growth habit that matures to an oval or spire shape.
The trees are always displayed with their best sides facing out for visitors to see. Many of the taller trees can be seen from the road.
Select Horticulture Inc. has locations in Lancaster, Massachusetts and here in Westchester, New York right off route 137. It is owned by Scott Richard and Jim Freeborn who are extremely knowledgeable and often at the nurseries ready to answer any questions.
This is Acer palmatum ‘Kiyohime’ also known as a Kiyohime Japanese maple or spreading Japanese maple. This is a dwarf, spreading maple cultivar in the Sapindaceae family and well known for its interesting leaf coloring. Japanese maples are native to southeast Korea and central and south Japan.
Acer palmatum dissectum ‘Seiryu’, also known as the Laceleaf Japanese Maple, is a Japanese maple tree with a unique upright growth habit, growing in a vase-shape rather than weeping or cascading. In the spring, the leaves have red tips, and in the fall they turn gold, light yellow, and crimson.
All the trees at Select Horticulture Inc. are meticulously wrapped and tied. Always look for well maintained root balls which are crucial for good transport, handling, and planting at its new location.
Pinus thunbergii, the black pine, Japanese black pine, or Japanese pine, is a pine tree native to coastal areas of Japan and South Korea. It grows 20 to 60 feet tall and 12 to 20 feet wide and features a shrubby habit and somewhat curved trunk when mature.
Chamaecyparis nootkatensis ‘Pendula’ or Weeping Nootka Cypress is a medium to large pyramidal tree with drooping branchlets and dark gray-green foliage that drape. This evergreen tree thrives in cool, humid summer climates with above average rainfall.
You may recognize this one from a recent blog post – I just repotted one at my farm. it’s Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Nana Gracilis’, also known as the Hinoki Cypress – a slow-growing, evergreen shrub that is a popular dwarf conifer.
There are lots of lush evergreen shrubs in all different sizes. It is nice to see such a well organized nursery. Picea abies Hillside Upright is a rare and unique form of Norway spruce. It has distinct green foliage over rust colored stems that does best in full sun.
Select Horticulture Inc. also has a beautiful selection of boxwood. This is the pom-pom topiary form of the American Boxwood, Buxus sempervirens, a soft-textured shrub that grows well in sun or part shade. The foliage is glossy, deep green and rarely requires pruning. Each plant has about six to 10 pom-poms.
With fall officially starting this weekend, it is not unusual to see some of the trees already showing off their autumn colors. This deciduous Parrotia persica obelisk or Persian ironwood is breathtaking with its large, smooth, wavy-edged leaves that turn to vibrant shades of yellow, orange, red, and sometimes even pink in autumn.
Magnolia grandiflora ‘Claudia Wannamaker’ is the tree-form version of the vigorous Southern Magnolia which grows upwards of 50 feet tall.
These Southern Magnolia trees show off glossy green foliage with 12 inch pure-white flowers each summer.
Tilia Euchlora, or Crimean Linden is a medium size to a large deciduous tree that is thought to be a hybrid of Tilia cordata and Tilia dasystyla. The tree grows from 40 to 60 feet tall and 20 to 30 feet wide and has a pyramidal shape. The tree is also known as Caucasian Linden and Causcasina Lime.
Abies koreana Silberlocke, commonly called Korean fir, is a compact, conical to pyramidal evergreen conifer that grows slowly up to 50 feet tall.
These are the showy bluish branches of Cedrus atlantica Glauca or Blue Atlas Cedar. This tree is an evergreen conifer that needs plenty of room to grow. It typically grows to a height of 60 feet tall, but can reach up to 100 feet.
Cedrus deodara ‘Aurea’ is a very old cedar variety. It has striking horizontal branches with long green gold needles.
And these are the branches of Picea orientalis ‘Nigra Compacta’ commonly called oriental spruce – a medium to large, densely-branched, narrow-pyramidal evergreen conifer that typically grows 50 to 70 feet tall. It is native to mountain areas from the Caucasus to Turkey. It has flattened, glossy, dark green needles that are shorter than the needles of other species of spruce.
When selecting any new planting for a garden always be sure to consider the plant’s preferred hardiness zone, its care requirements, and the specimen’s size at maturity. And, if you live in or around Pound Ridge, New York, or Lancaster, Massachusetts, be sure to visit Select Horticulture Inc. You’re sure to find something. And yes, this trip was successful. I’ll share what Ryan brought back to my farm in an upcoming blog.
It takes a lot of time and patience to develop a garden. Here at my farm, I pay close attention to all the beds and planting spaces - how the specimens grow, what varieties work best, and what areas need filling. And then, every so often I plant a few more colorful and interesting additions.
One area I've been working on is the stone wall outside my Winter House. It is planted with different stonecrop sedums. These hardy ground covers grow rapidly and can thrive with very little soil. Yesterday, my gardeners filled in more of the cracks, softening the stones with colorful sedum foliage.
Enjoy these photos.
Sedum is a large genus of flowering plants, also known as stonecrops. Sedums are members of the succulent family. They have fleshy, water-storing leaves and are drought tolerant.
I first planted sedum in walls many years ago at my Connecticut home on Turkey Hill. I wonder how it is doing now?
Sedum adds nice soft texture to hard stone and is considered very low maintenance.
I had trays of sedum left over from other planting projects, so I planned these for the wall and steps surrounding the terrace outside my Winter House kitchen.
Sedum will thrive where other plants do not. It is native to parts of eastern Asia.
They can be used in slopes, tight spots, embedded in or tumbling over walls, rock gardens, and hanging baskets. I also use sedum as under plantings in large urns or just planted in a shallow pot on their own.
Our NYBG garden intern, Matthew, is tasked with planting this tray of sedum along the wall.
Matthew divides the plants into smaller sections to fit some of the crevices and between the stone steps.
The roots of sedum plants are shallow and fibrous, and they help the plants take anchor and absorb water and nutrients.
Many sedums are grown for their bold and colorful foliage and for their draping form.
Matthew selects an adequate void between the stones and places the sedum securely into the crevice.
Next, he simply tucks in the roots. Sedum, like other succulents, retain water in their leaves and can thrive in dry climates. They need little soil and water to survive, which makes them excellent for planting here.
My Chow Chows Empress Qin and her younger brother, Emperor Han, watch with some curiosity – or maybe hope that something edible will fall their way. What do you think?
Once sedums become established, they need little else to develop and flourish.
After the roots take hold, the plant wedges itself and begins to spread.
Most plants have a trailing nature and will begin cascading down the side of the wall as it grows.
I’ve also planted sedum in between the stone pavers.
And in corners, where the steps meet.
Sedums do well nearly anywhere as long as they get good drainage and full sun.
The sedum along this wall was first planted in 2012. And every so often, we add more and more. It is growing so nicely and looks as if it has been here so much longer.
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