We are now taking reservations for studying bonsai with internationally known bonsai artist Graham Potter here at the nursery.

Graham Potter is a highly acclaimed bonsai artist from the United Kingdom known for his skill in bonsai design and carving and he will be holding classes at the nursery October 21-23 2011. This is an all-day event from 9:00am to 5:00pm. The cost of attendance is $133 per-day and you can attend one or multiple days.

Here’s what you can expect: A critique of guest trees. Carving techniques for bonsai using power tools. The creation of deadwood using hand tools. The cultivation/styling and refinement of bonsai. Collecting, preparing and development of raw material. This is a bring-your-own-trees workshop and supplies can be purchased at the nursery. Space is limited to 6-8 people per-workshop, first-come-first-serve so call the nursery to reserve a spot.

This is a great opportunity to really improve your skills and to learn, don’t miss out!

Azalea are very popular in landscapes, although they do tend to be a favourite food among deer. The Japanese have a fondness of Azalea in their gardens, often hybridizing them and carefully manicuring the plants’ growth to very exacting standards. They also make an excellent plant for bonsai due to their small leaves, attractive flowers, smooth bark, and ease of care.

Natural Habitat

Azalea are a broad-leaf evergreen found in deciduous forests of the north-east. They enjoy the early spring sun before the leaves of their canopy counterparts open. Once the canopy above is in full-leaf the azalea are shrouded in shade where they receive relief from the summer sun. The constant supply of oak leaves gives the Azalea an acidic mulch, keeping a rich loam that maintains even moisture.

Growth Habit

Trunks

Azalea are naturally a multi-trunked shrub to around 5 feet. Their Rhododendron cousins tend to grow much taller. Developing a single trunk of significant size takes a lot of time and a bit of luck.

The plants do back-bud readily on old wood and have a propensity to sucker from the base. The best way to develop a trunk is to keep pruning back the suckers to avoid multi-trunking and to allow as much top-growth on the single trunk as possible.

Bark

The bark of young wood is brown and flaky strips. As the plant matures, the bark becomes smooth, similar to that of a European Beech.

They do not heal-over particularly well and will leave attractive dimples where branches have been cut, giving the impression of age and adding character.

Deadwood

Azalea deadwood can be very attractive, particularly on trunks. While not as traditional as on Junipers, the effect can work quite well in bonsai.

Dead branches do not tend to look as attractive as trunks, giving the appearance of neglect rather than age.

Flowers

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The real draw of Azaleas are the flowers, and it is no different in bonsai cultivation. The flowers of Azaleas come in variations of every color of the rainbow except green and blue. Some have flowers with multiple colours in the same flower, or different solid-colored flowers on the same plant. Flowers can be single of double blossoms. The shapes and sizes also vary. The one thing that all azaleas seem to have in common is when they do flower, they get completely covered.

Leaves

The leaves of azaleas are evergreen, about 1/4 inch oblong.

The leaf variations between species are slight, generally some being a bit rounder than others or a bit shinier. The leaves are a good size for bonsai purposes and will not increase or decrease in size with variations in care. The leaves may exhibit a red hue in autumn depending on the species, but the real show are the spring flowers.

Caring For Azalea Bonsai

Light

Azalea are an under-growth, broad-leaf evergreen. As such, they are adapted to more shade than some other trees will tolerate. An azalea will tell you it’s happy in its location based on the rich, shiny green color of its leaves.

Too much sun (or too little fertilizer) and the leaves will start to fade into a yellow-green colour.

Watering

Azalea naturally grow in a rich, loamy soil of the forest floors. They are used to the acidic conditions created by oak leaves, and the consistent moisture ensured through a supply of leaf-litter. In bonsai culture, keep the soil evenly moist; avoid extremes of dry or wet.

Pruning

Azaleas have a habit of thin, leggy shoots and a propensity to sucker at the base. Pruning of the foliage can be done at any time. Long shoots can be cut back to develop pads on branches. Shoots which are long and out of place should be cut so they conform to surrounding growth on the same branch (or pad). After flowering, seed heads should be removed to promote stronger new growth.

Feeding

Fertilizing is good for promoting good plant health and colour. Use a general purpose (20-20-20) at ½ the manufacturers rate and feed every 2 or 3 weeks apart while the tree is actively growing. During the winter feeding is not necessary for the tree should be going dormant. Resume feeding when buds first appear in the spring. An acidic fertilizer may be beneficial but is not required.

Over-Winter Care

Azaleas are hardy to temperature zone 5. However your tree is in a container which now needs to be sheltered from extreme cold over the winter. Trees should be left outside to grow, this is where they do best. As the weather begins to change, leave trees outside till approximately Thanksgiving. At this time consider placing bonsai inside a garage or shed to over winter. The trees will be dormant and will not need light. Water the tree well and keep in a location in which it will not be forgotten. It’s important not to let it dry out over the winter period. The tree should be moved back outside when the harsh weather breaks. Generally around March/April.

Propagation

Azaleas will readily produce roots on any branch that receives the consistent moisture of soil. Grafting is not done as there are no root stocks hardier than another. Plants can be easily air layered and cuttings can be taken, often just by sticking a branch in the ground in Spring or Fall without rooting hormone! Unless trying to create a new strain, Azaleas are rarely propagated by seed.

European Trees

Rainforest Trees

Other Trees From Around The World

Bonsai may be mysterious but broken down it applies some basic gardening techniques and art to create miniature trees and landscapes. Join this 1/2 day class which sets you up to succeed in getting started in bonsai. Whether your a first timer or had bonsai in the past, now is your chance to get involved. Bonsai is a relaxing hobby which most anybody can experience with success while developing a greater connection with nature. Class is designed to supply students with the knowledge and understanding of proper tree care while including basic tree designs found in the hobby. A hands-on class where all students are given materials to create their own tree which is taken home at the end of the program. Other topics include, choosing tree material, containers, soil, wiring, post care.

Cost-$80.00 (plus tax)
Class includes all materials.

Courses includes up to 1 gal soil, use of tools if needed. Time 9:30 – 1:00 PM

Cost-$55.00 (plus tax)

Bonsai may be mysterious but broken down it applies some basic gardening techniques and art to create miniature trees and landscapes. Join this 1/2 day class which sets you up to succeed in getting started in bonsai. Whether your a first timer or had bonsai in the past, now is your chance to get involved. Bonsai is a relaxing hobby which most anybody can experience with success while developing a greater connection with nature. Class is designed to supply students with the knowledge and understanding of proper tree care while including basic tree designs found in the hobby. A hands-on class where all students are given materials to create their own tree which is taken home at the end of the program. Other topics include, choosing tree material, containers, soil, wiring, post care.

Cost-$80.00 (plus tax)
Class includes all materials.

Give Your Bonsai A Bath

During this extreme heat (well above 100) you can place your trees in a dishpan of water during the day, pot and all. Hours of being under-water will not be enough to drown roots, just take them out to allow the soil to flush with oxygen. The water will take much longer to heat up than the soil itself. Just don’t leave them in the water for days at a time.

Place Your Trees In The Shade

This will help the most. Even here at the nursery, the plants in full-sun this summer (pre-heatwave) have been showing signs of stress. While plants are adapted to the sun, there can be too much of a good thing. Outdoor shade, while visually not much different than indoor lighting, offers way more light than our little windows let in. The plants given shade/filtered light will often be greener and healthier than their counterparts in full-sun for the summer.

Water The Foliage

There is an old myth that watering the leaves of a plant will cook them by concentrating the light like a magnifying glass in the sun. This is couldn’t be more far removed from the truth. Watering the leaves of your bonsai will provide a buffer between them and the sun. The heat must first evaporate the water sitting on-top of the leaves before it can take the water out of the leaves, buying the tree some time to take water from the soil back up. This is especially important for trees that have been allowed to dry too much between watering as it reduces their stress.

Please keep in mind that watering the foliage in cool temperatures may cause fungal problems for certain species. In this extremely hot, dry air that is not much of a concern.

Don’t Forget To Water!!!

I cannot stress this enough, it is the most important point of all. Do not forget to water your bonsai in the summer. There is no faster way to kill your trees. Junipers and pines will not give warning by wilting in advance. If you have already forgotten to water, follow the previous three steps and hope for the best. There is not much else you can do.

Resist The Temptation To Bring Your Bonsai Inside

Due to the angle of the summer sun and the constant use of air conditioning, bringing bonsai indoors that have been growing outdoors will not be the best thing for them. Air-conditioned air, while cooler, is extremely dry. Dry air with low light is stressful for plants, and it is the worst thing you can do for hardy trees. Follow the previous four steps instead.

We currently have two sizes available, 24-inch and 6-inch trees.

24-inch Brazilian Rain Tree Pre-Bonsai

6-inch Brazilian Rain Tree Pre-Bonsai

6-inch Brazilian Rain Tree Pre-Bonsai

6-inch Brazilian Rain Tree Pre-Bonsai

Don’t let their small size fool you

The 6-inch Rain Trees have excellent branch placement and are perfect for shohin.

Japanese maples are a popular tree because of it graceful growing habit. It’s no wonder why so many people are drawn to them. They are a hardy dwarf tree which has been used in many landscapes due to their beautiful color and texture. They stun the viewer with a wide array of leaf colors and shapes, not to mention colorful wood of the trunk and branches. Their ability to adapt to small containers make them a wonderful choice for bonsai.

Natural Habit

The natural growth habit of japanese maples vary by variety and include upright and spreading forms.

Upright forms tend to reach the size of a medium height tree at 30 – 40 feet, while spreading forms may only reach 10 feet. Most are fast growing, sending out a strong surge of growth of 8-18” in the spring right after dormancy.

Japanese maples prefer full sun but many adapt equally well in an area of dappled sunlight and those grown in containers seem to prefer the break of intense sun over the summer. The lack of proper sunlight is seen by poor color within the foliage and reduced vigor in its growth.

Hardiness of Japanese maples range from temperature zone 4 (-25 degrees) to zone 6 (-10 degrees) but those grown in container form would all require extra protection from the cold.

Types of Japanese Maples

When one thinks of Japanese Maples, many think of the color red. Actually the colors can range from red to green with every variation in between. It’s difficult to think that a tree can have so many differences but this is my attempt to explain a few of them.

Acer Palmatum “Bloodgood” is an upright tree form Japanese Maple with good red color. I consider it fast growing and one of the hardiest. Each leaf has six lobes and measure apx. 3 – 4 inches across.

Some other varieties in the Palmatum family include “Burgundylace”, “Arakawa” (known for its rough bark), “Katsura” and “Butterfly”.

The red cut leaf is probably the most popular form of Japanese maple. This would include the varieties of Acer Dissectum “Red Select”, “Red Feathers”, and “Ever Red”.

Each leaf measures apx. 3 inches across. Acer Dissectum. “Seiryu” is a true winner for anyone wanting a true cutleaf upright maple which is green.

While these are popular choices for their known color, there still remains a group of others which host there own eye pleasing attributes.

Japanese Maples As Bonsai

Maples can be grown in any of the bonsai styles, but one of the best reasons for using Japanese maples in bonsai is their aggressive growth habit. Maples are nearly indestructible as long as you provide them with basic care.

Maples are hardy trees and are required to be grown outdoors (don’t attempt to grow them indoors) where they will have abundant circulation and light. Over the spring maples grow rapidly before slowing down during the summer. Trees struck by autumn frost can give viewers a second show as many are know to produce outstanding autumn foliage color.

The Care Of Japanese Maples As Bonsai

Over-Wintering

Japanese maples need to be over-wintered in a protected area where overnight temperatures stay above 24 degrees F. Keep the soil evenly moist even though it is dormant. The tree will not need light when it does not have leaves, but light should be provided as soon as the buds open.

Transplanting / Repotting

When repotting or creating your own bonsai, transplanting is better done in the spring while the trees are still dormant and leaves are still in the bud stage. The roots of healthy trees can be cut back quite hard which makes it easy to get them into smaller containers. Just remember that using a smaller container will require that you water more often.

Water

Using a medium fast draining soil is good but keeping them watered in the summer can be a challenge. Trees which are allowed to dry too hard will cause leaves to burn leaving a lasting mark for the remainder of the year. Placing trees in a location so they are in and out of sun throughout the day helps trees stay hydrated and keeps containers from getting too hot, which could damage the roots.

Styling

Japanese maples back-bud readily on old wood and heal well from hard cutting, although it takes time for the bark to fully roll over the cut.

They do not form much taper in bonsai culture unless they are routinely cut back. New branches can be “thread-grafted” in order to get a branch to grow exactly where you want it.

The new growth on japanese maples when left untouched is long and out of proportion for small bonsai.

Where to cut and when you should cut the new growth depends on your goals.

Thickening Branches

If your goal is to develop thicker branches it is best not to cut back the new growth, however unsightly it may be. This will lead to thicker branches in the shortest amount of time. Generally thick or heavy branches are wanted on the bottom of a tree. In this case, allowing the branch to grown untouched by cutting is required to thicken to the desired size. The opposite holds true for keeping branches small. The time when you are allowing the branches to thicken is also the time to shape branches with wiring.

Developing Branches

Once the branches have reached close to the desired thickness they can be cut back to two or more leaves. The branch will die back to the nearest bud so leave room for this to happen and cut back the dead wood once the new branch has started growing from the bud.

This should be done when the new growth has begun to harden, usually in late spring to early summer.

Refinement

Pinch back to the point of two or three leaves once the new growth extends beyond that point. Pruning to refine branches is best done in mid-spring when enough time is left in the growing season for a second serge of growth to develop.

Wiring

Japanese maple bonsai can be trained with wire.

The wood is brittle so care should be taken when bending them. Also keep in mind that the bark is smooth and can be scarred if the wire is left on too long, so be diligent. Shallow scars may disappear as the tree grows but deep scars may be permanent.

Light

Full to partial sun exposure while in leaf. It is better to place trees in full sun during the spring and move to a partial exposure during the summer as the leaves are delicate and prone to scorching. Bright light is necessary for best color in non-green varieties. If a colored leaf is not given enough light the leaves will turn green temporarily. This condition will not hurt the plant (assuming there is enough light to continue photosynthesis) but may be undesirable cosmetically. Plants should be paced in light as soon as the buds break to avoid scorching the leaves.

Feeding

Spring

When actively growing feed with a general purpose fertilizer every 2nd or 3rd week at half strength.

Summer

Feed monthly at half strength.

Fall

(September – October) Use no nitrogen or low nitrogen fertilizers.

Winter

Stop feeding.

Propagation

Seedlings

Young trees can be started by seed, which can be fun and educational. They are easy to germinate, as anyone with a japanese maple in their landscape will be able to tell about the many seedlings in their planting beds and lawns. However, hybrids such as those stated earlier are generally done by graft or cutting in order to ensure that they are propagated true to variety.

Grafting

Most of the japanese maples found in garden centers are produced by grafting. This means that one variety is grown on the roots of another, resulting in a faster growing root system than left to grown on its own root system. This is particularly true of variegated varieties, where the light portion of the leaves is slow to photosynthesize. While this is helpful in a landscape environment, the results can be a bulge at the graft (the rootstock may grow faster than the top growth) and not desirable for bonsai. Luckily there are alternative methods.

Cuttings

Japanese maples can be propagated by cuttings. This is an easy method of acquiring more plants that are genetically identical to the parent plant, and thus shares the same characteristics and traits. Regular bonsai soil can be used using a rooting hormone on small portions of second-year growth and the results will be the cultivar you want without a graft line.

The downside to this method is the number of losses and that is that you must wait for the cutting to develop before it will be usable for bonsai.

Air Layering

Air layering is possibly the best method of propagation for japanese maples in bonsai. It is a fairly quick method, highly reliable, and you can end up with a thick trunk on its own roots in months. Japanese maples can be air-layered at any time of the year, although keep in mind that the roots will only form in the spring or fall.

Pests For Japanese Maples

Japanese maples are affected by a few pests, including insects and mammals. Aphids and scale will drain the energy from the branches and japanese beetles may attack the leaves. A healthy tree should be able to defend against a mild to moderate attack, and there are controls available for a severe outbreak.

In addition to insects, deer and mice should be considered. Why this may not be a big deal for landscape plants, it can be devastating to a bonsai. Mice may chew the bark in winter storage.

Although these trees are not pest-proof the troubles are infrequent and they should not deter you from using japanese maples for bonsai.