Another Spring Project: Buckey Bonsai in Training

This season due to the corona virus, and our club not actually meeting, we'll be periodically posting some of the projects club members are working on so that we can all share in each others projects, the excitement and energy that the trees bring. In other words virtually we can share some of what bonsai has to offer-- bonsai reveals the glory of spring.

Buckeye literati-- sweet direction changes

Buckeye bonsai in training

Randy continues his experiment at using Ohio's famous state tree--the BUCKEYE. These trees have very broad umbrella shaped leaves, and because of the large leaf size, they are not used much for bonsai.

A couple of years ago, Randy gave a presentation to our club with multiple examples of buckeyes that he had been working with. Despite the leaf size, they typically have wonderful greens and red shades in their spring  foliage color.   In addition they develop some interesting direction changes with pruning--see our post from July 2018.  At that meeting, he gave each member a buckeye to work on, all were trees that he had grown from seed. (By the way, mine is still alive).

Here Randy shares some pics of this delightful little guy which, in time, should make an interesting literati style with lots of abstract movement. Just check out that lower trunk  It is already giving us some cool lower trunk bends and direction changes.

Check back to this blog later for more spring projects.
Stay safe.

Spring Pojects Potting Up-- Maple

by Michael Rusnak

This season due to the corona virus, and our club not actually meeting  I'll be periodically posting some of the projects club members are working on so that we can all share in each others projects, the excitement and energy that the trees bring. In other words virtually we can share some of what bonsai has to offer.

Amur Maples

Last year our club dug up more than 30 amur maples from a hedge row that was in front of the building where we were meeting.  These 50 year old trees all had thick trunks with lots of hollow and movement.

Several of the trees were healed in the ground to recover at one member's home.  This past weekend several of the maples were put in training pots.  Emmet and Randy shared the pictures below.  They report lots of healthy root, and the maples are already pushing out. It should be a good year of development.