New Whip

This whip was purchased Saturday from Dave Kreutz. It is a rarer variety called Otakumi. It was slip-potted yesterday and will be left to grow for 1 or 2 years.

Chinzan Wired

Chinzan clump was wired tonight. I shortened long branches and put movement into them.

Satsukis Repotted Yesterday

These satsukis were repotted yesterday. They came from 2 gallon nursery containers. The last pic shows the before of pic 2 . They were put into growing pots and will be worked on later this year.

Kishu Cascade Repotted

This cascade was repotted yesterday. The tree would not come out of the pot, so the pot had to be broken. The roots were horrible, and it appeared to be potted in kanuma. Hopefully the roots will grow strong again, and get nice and healthy. It was potted in a sara rayner pot. It will be wired this fall and get a hair cut once the growing season starts.

Itoigawa Shimpaku Repotted

This shimpaku was repotted yesterday. The roots were extremely healthy. It needs to be wired again this year.

Two Pre-Bonsai Satsuki

The wired whip is a Kaho and the other is a wakebiseu.

Winter Azalea Update

The photos tell it best:

Shohin Literati Shimpaku

This shimpaku was repotted today. It is in a sara rayner pot. I got the tree for $5 and it was a stick with a bush on top; it looked like a lollypop. I did not have the roots to place it centered in the pot, maybe next time.

When to Repot Satsuki Azaleas

Repotting is a big stress to any tree, and barerooting is the biggest stress to a tree. When repotting Satsuki Azaleas, it is better to do it at a certain time. Repotting in early to middle spring is best. In my area, which is St. Louis, I repot my satsukis in middle to late march. Some people say that you should repot after flowering, but this is not the case. Flowering is the second biggest stress to a satsuki. So repotting and flowering in the same year is not a healthy thing to do for a tree. That is why when I repot, I do not let the satsuki flower that year.

Shimpakus Thinned Out

I thinned out some of my shimpakus yesterday.

New shimpaku cascade

This is a shohin shimpaku cascade that I purchased last weekend. I bought it for 45 dollars from Dave Kreutz, who grew and styled it. I will let it fill in and maybe wire a few more branches this winter. I will repot it into the same pot, and let it thicken for the next couple of years.

Kishu Shimpaku Cascade

This is a Kishu Shimpaku Cascade that I purchased today. It needs to be repotted this spring and thinned out soon. This should be a show quality tree in a few years.

Hakurin Satsuki

Satsuki Azalea Hakurin

Height: 6.5 inches

My Training Since: May 2009

Satsuki Blooming Pictures

I took these pictures in the end of May. At the time, they were my only Satsuki Azaleas. The white flower is Hakurin and the pink flower is Chinzan.

Itoigawa Shimpaku Styling

This is my itoigawa shimpaku. The three pictures show before, halfway through, and after the styling. The tree was styled in April, 2009.