spruce number 42

This is a European spruce (Norway spruce), Picea abies. It is over 100 years old, collected in Austria in 2002. I got it in fall of 2005. The first two images show the tree as I got it with Jim Doyle at my home. We planted it into this round Chinese pot and then I let it grow for two years. Today it was styled for the first time. This is cerainly not finished. I prefer to style stage wise. Now we have a rough sketch. This will be left alone for a few months. Then it will be refined. Choose your own best front.

spruce number 41

Two years after first styling this spruce now is just about good enogh to be accepted into the gallery as spruce number 41. In summer of 2006 it already was in this pot for a few years before David styled it. This past week ena took off th wire. I cut it back severely yesterday and applied a few guy wires. Now it has to wait onther year at least before it goes into a decent bonsai pot which will probably be round.

wire taken off yew

Wire was taken off the yew and the crown reduced. This needs another three years minimum to look right.

spruce cascade

After three years it was time to remove the wire. Then the branches snapped back into the old position and the tree looks much worse than with wire. Such is bonsai with spruce. I will have to wire it again this summer.

mogo for sale

Mugo pine, Pinus mugo, 80 cm high, more than 100 years old, pot Korean, goes to offers.

honeysuckle doing fine

European wild honeysuckle, Lonicera xylosteum.

maple doing fine

Japanese maple four weeks ago as I got in in a trade becasuen it looked lousy. And then today. It cannot be all wrong what I am preaching horticulturally: well draining substrate, water agressively EVERY day. Feed agressively every ten days to two weeks. The ovewhlming majority of bonsai are underwatered and desperately underfed. This was the SOLE problem with this tree. Easy fix!
Then the Kiohime looking fine after partial defoliation four weeks ago.

linden doing fine

Three weeks after defoliaton the linsen (Tilia platiphyllos) are coming back nicely.

New spruce

This is a Colorado Blöue Spruce, Picea pungens. It is used as garden and park tree around the world and is called "Blue Fir Tree" in most languages. The foliage is actually quite blue. This one is probably around 500 years old or older. A European spruce (Norway spruce) was found in Sweden recently which is 9,500 years old. So spruces can become TWICE as old as Bristelcone PInes (Pinus arsitata). Who would have thought that ? Anyway, age is not so important. But character is and it often comes with age. The chaarcter of this deadwood is unique. I have not seen anything just like this before. I love this tree. It will be quite elegant. It was collected two years ago and appears to clearly have made it. I am happy.