4 Reasons Succulents Are the Best Choice for a Beginner's First Bonsai

            It's been almost 1 year since I've been selling bonsai trees at Casa Cacao cafe here in Columbus, OH, and I've learned a lot in the process! For the 4 reasons below, these succulents are my top recommendation for anyone's first bonsai, and with time, they will progress towards a miniature tree form. Many people kill their first bonsai (myself included!). Some species are just more sensitive to beginner mistakes like a missed watering over vacation (RIP the Serissa from my childhood) or inadequate winter protection if growing outdoors. And while succulents are not traditional Japanese species and they still have some limitations or shortcomings, their resilience despite common mistakes that occur in the early learning phase makes them excellent for new bonsai practitioners.

            The trees sprinkled into this article are examples of those which I have propagated, potted, and restocked for sale at Casa Cacao cafe here in Columbus, OH. Learn more about the individual care guides for these species I have recently published on my website here and about my growing list of in-person bonsai retail partners around Ohio here.

A three-tree jade / Crassula ovata grove I planted. These have large leaves at first, but once frequent bonsai pruning is applied they will miniaturize some. These are propagated cuttings which were recently potted together for the first time. Ramification will improve over time going forward.

4 Tips to Pick the Right Species for Your First/Next Bonsai

            How can you learn to keep a bonsai alive to enjoy for generations to come? There's no magic, really, but there are a few bonsai tricks to learn. Some basic skills serve you well when growing any type of plant, but the first thing you should think about is how to pick a plant that can tolerate the conditions you will provide it. I'll share 4 tips here to help you get started for those thinking about entering bonsai or thinking about trying to add new species to your collection, but if you're in Columbus, Ohio, check out my upcoming beginner workshop where you can get your bonsai journey off on a running start! 

In Vivo / Central Ohio Bonsai Announcements:

1. My next beginner indoor bonsai workshop is on Saturday 2/24 at Nocterra Brewing. Full details can be found on Eventbrite! Briefly, we will cover all the basics of caring for indoor bonsai, and basic techniques for bonsai maintenance such as how to prune, wire, and repot to create the miniature tree look. All workshop participants will be gifted 1-year memberships to the Columbus Bonsai Society and the Central Ohio Cactus and Succulent Society - A $55 value! The total price for the workshop is $56 and also includes prebonsai trees and locally made pots for you to take home after our work and a drink from our gracious host.
2. I now sell pots! I received a special shipment to sell on behalf of Blue Nose Trading. See the pieces of her work I have available here or schedule an appointment to visit my nursery in Columbus, OH via the contact form here. These are mainly for local pickup/delivery only.
3. The Bonsai Time Podcast has moved! While I am still heavily involved in producing that podcast, the show notes for it now lives on its own website, its own YouTube channel, and it now has its own TikTok account.

The pots were made by the same person who took pictures of a beginner class we taught together last year - Mark Passerrello of Ancient Art Bonsai. Mark was featured in Bonsai Time Podcast Episode 08.

The Humble Yew's First Styling - A Case Study for Trunk-line, Primary Branch, and Foliage Pad Development

             Hello all, many projects have been in the works in recent weeks since the CBS show concluded. Today I share a small project styling a nursery stock yew. I don't normally work with nursery stock these days as I prefer to dig from the wild and grow from seed and that gives me plenty of material for myself and my nursery already, but I decided to style this humble nursery stock yew to provide an example for my upcoming beginner-intermediate styling workshop. In this Saturday's workshop, we will be using the same material to practice basic elements of styling; these yews are young enough that their trunk lines are still malleable, but also old enough to have substantial primary branch options and even smaller secondary and tertiary branches which we can use to begin to form foliage pads. After a bit of creativity and technical know-how is applied, you can transform this humble material as I did below into a variety of styles. The tree below also shows some of the main topics we will be covering in the workshop. I am still developing my lesson plan, but the topics we will cover are listed below.

Lesson Plan for Beginner-Intermediate Yew Styling Workshop, 9/16/2023 1-4pm in Upper Arlington, OH

1. Benefits of Growing Bonsai Outdoors & How to Keep Them Alive (15 min)
2. Wiring 101 & Exercise for Beginners (15+ min)
3. Yew Styling
1. How to pick and develop the best trunkline for a variety of styles.
1. How to apply raffia to avoid cracking when bending large branches/trunks.
2. How to attempt to save a cracked branch if raffia was not applied.
2. How to pick and develop primary branch lines.
3. How to develop foliage pads including pruning to induce density and fine wiring of small branches.

Note: Loaner pruners, wire cutters, raffia, and recycled bonsai wires will be provided in the workshop fee in addition to the yew stock material. Students who have their own tools or wire to bring are encouraged to do so.

You can see that the initial trunk was too rigid for much bending, but when combined with a change in angle we could get this upright yew into a cascading style. Also with this chosen front, some distance of the trunk is made less noticeable as in the 3-D view the trunk goes away from the viewer at one point and then comes back at the bottom towards us. In the long run, I intend to have the apex continue growing towards the right to fill in the space above the cascade. Then the other two main branches will continue growing outwards and downwards so they are subordinate to the main top section.

Also if you look closely you will see there are two parts where I cracked the trunkline and applied grafting tape overtop. I used to apply cut paste to such wounds but had mixed success (best with liquid cut paste, solid cut paste failed most often). This year I began using grafting tape on these wounds and it has worked well so far.

Roberta Walters' Azaleas 101 - A Guide to Seasonal Azalea Care

            Few species of bonsai can compete with the visual intrigue produced by an azalea in full bloom. For that reason, today I have to resist the flowery temptation to write a full on history of their use in bonsai and review manual for Azalea techniques (maybe someday...). Instead, I'll whet your appetite with a more manageable intro to azalea-specific information through long-lost excerpts from one of California's premier azalea expert, Roberta Walters. While the full playlist of Roberta's demonstration is available on the Puget Sound Bonsai Association's Youtube Channel, this article is intended to serve as a guide to how each clip of Roberta's discussions fits into seasonal work that can be done on your azalea bonsai.

 Sections

1. Roberta Walters in Bonsai History

2. Roberta's Azalea Advice

    2A. Skip the Mallsai, Save Time, & Learn Bonsai Faster!

    2B. How to Safely Remove Large Branches on Azalea Bonsai

    2C. Nuances in Bonsai Fertilizer - Organic vs Inorganics & Seasonal Use

    2D. Repotting Basics & Why Grow Moss for Your Azalea Bonsai

    2E. Azalea Flower Management: Space & Timing

    2F. Full Demonstration

3. Blog Announcements

This old azalea by Dan Robinson (collected decades ago by his first student. Frank) is a prime example of their potential spring beauty. Although it is already covered with pink flowers, this tree is still a few days away from peak bloom. At that time it would be so covered in pink that you can't even see the leaves! It's no wonder this tree won the People's Choice Award at the 2017 PSBA Spring Show.