At the risk of repeating myself, I like to wire and shape my deciduous bonsai in early Winter.  The branches are bare and it is easier to make design changes.  Branches are still pliable enough to make significant bends.

Swamp cypress branches are particularly pliable and easy to shape.  They are a great subject for both the novice and professional bonsai artist.  Quick to develop some character and very forgiving of mistakes.  They can be significantly carved without many problems. They will bud very well on old wood.

All the Swamp Cypress bonsai in the gallery have been developed in the open ground.  They grow rapidly in the ground so you must keep a close watch on them when developing a good nebari. 

Time to work on refinement of our deciduous bonsai.

I like to work on our deciduous tree refinement late Autumn to early Winter.  The branches are, generally, still pliable enough to wire and it is easy to bud select and prune

What a difference a year makes. 

This old Kuromatsu has been in the collection since the mid 1980's.  It was field grown for many years.  We have finally had time over the past year to start some serious refining.  It is only now starting to show some results with better branching, bud development and very small needles.  It will be re-potted in the following Spring..... and will require many hands. !!

Swamp Cypress - Autumn Colour

This old Swamp Cypress bonsai was developed from 1981 tube stock.  It was field grown for 5 years before transferring to a 'training pot', and finally into the bonsai pot in this image.
Overall dimensions: H:80cm | W: 70cm | D:65cm. Nebari: 28cm. Trunk: 13cm.  -  Pot: W:58cm | D:47cm | H:10cm.

It is available for sale HERE.

 The Pine Section of the Bonsai Gallery is looking a little more respectable now that the Autumn work is almost complete.  Needle thinning, bud selection, and wiring done; all that is left to do is to make up my Autumn/Winter fertiliser bags.

Australian Bonsai Gallery - Pine Area

As of 1-June-2020
The Australian Bonsai Gallery will be OPEN !

It has been very easy to 'self-isolate' here over the past few months.  Bonsai work has a habit of making 'hermits' out of us.! 

Over the isolation period we have had the opportunity to trial a number of 'ZOOM' Workshops.  I must say that they have been surprisingly successful.  All participants were very satisfied with the content and methodology we had adapted.  It is certainly true that "necessity is the mother of invention".  So, for those who are willing to make the journey to Dorrigo, you are more than welcome to visit the gallery..... For those who may not be able to travel we are keen to continue our ZOOM Workshops.

Please Contact Us if you would like to visit the gallery, or book a workshop.

I attracted some 'scathing' criticism last October when I restyled this old Kuromatsu from an Informal Upright to a more 'Literati' style.  Personally, I am sure that I am on the right track with the changes.  Some refinement this Autumn(2020) has made some improvement to the overall style.  

I will be allowing the tree to 'rest' over the cooler months, fertilising moderately so that I can transfer the tree into a much smaller round pot next Spring... more in keeping with the Literati style.

This image shows the progress from last October.

Some nice autumn colour starting to show in these Japanese Trident Maples at The Australian Bonsai Gallery.  Updated video clips can be viewed at our YouTube Feed HERE.

This old Japanese Black Pine has been in 'rehab' for the last few years.  Last years' fertilising, foliage balancing, and a late Summer 'first flush' cut has see a great response with a healthy, even second flust now matured.  Same process for this Autumn with the addition of some fefinement and finer wiring.  On it's way to becoming a reasonably good bonsai.

Autumn 2020 - Before and After needle plucking, bud selection and wiring. 

Autumn Needle plucking and bud selection is a very time consuming job for the bonsai enthusiast; ... BUT spare a thought for gardeners in Japan who perform these tasks on large, full grown street trees in Kyoto. !!
I was gob-smacked to see people on ladders in the streets of Kyoto, in 2016, working on such a scale. !!!   I will never complain about this job ever again !!!