Yew Bonsai Progression

by Michael Rusnak

May 2015

Developing a bonsai from raw material is typically a five year project--at least. I mean to get a tree to the point where it starts to look presentable. If nothing else, photos can help you see how much a tree has progressed.   In 2015 several shrubs were donated to ACBS by a gentleman who was moving out of state. They were plants that had been dug out and potted, as can be seen in the photo from 2015. That summer I pruned the foliage ends back and fed the plant over the course of the season. I wanted to encourage some back budding closer in to the trunk.

May 2016, planting angle adjusted

The following spring, I re-potted the yew and changed the planting angle, rotating the lower trunk to allow a lower branch to become its new trunk. (low branch on right in the 2016 photo).  I recall it had been planted in sand, and had a nice healthy root system. The tree responded well to the pruning, and it was putting out some new shoots, closer in to the trunk, but mostly on the upper branches.

June 2019, after being allowed to mostly grow wild

I continued to prune the ends of the foliage, and except for that, I continued regular feeding and let it grow mostly wild for the 2017 and 2018 seasons.

August 2019

The tree put on some nice growth, as can be seen in the photo taken in June 2019.  This past month, I did some wiring, trimming and shaping to try to bring the yew into a more conical shape.  I also removed much of the dead branches on the lower portion of the trunk.  I was hoping to keep more of it, but the lower dead branches mostly came straight at the viewer, and I thought the bulk of it interfered with its trunk line. So Some of it was removed. I think it's taking shape now, and is much transformed from what it was back in 2015.


Anyway, we'll see how it responds over the balance of the summer and next spring. I'd like to see the foliage come down a bit lower, and I still need to do a little carving on the dead wood areas.  More refinement will need to be done in the coming few seasons, and in time, it should make a fine bonsai.