New Little Boxwood Shrub. First Time Trying to Make a Bonsai

[delfiend]

Hi! So I have my Rosemary bonsai that I bought pre-made, but as I was shopping for the flowerbeds and garden with my dad I found the shrubbery area and picked out myself a nice little Boxwood. I would have gone with a juniper if I could have found one, but I had no such luck. According to my 101 Bonsai Tips book, making a bonsai from a garden center sapling means I should keep in mind a couple of key things, which include:

• Creating Balance
• Root Spread
• Trunk
• Branches
• Which Viewpoint
• Size and Scale
• Tree and Container

Well, I took some pictures, though I know they cant help too much, they can give you guys a fairly decent grasp on what the basic shape of the shrub is currently.



How exactly do a start? I've never trimmed a tree into a bonsai before. Any pointers/step-by-step instructions???

Thanks!

 

[MinnesotaKirk]

Welcome!

I'd start out very slowly with a couple of things.

First off, bonsai is about 90% horticulture (keeping plants alive) and 10% art/styling.

The most important thing is to just keep this new little boxwood alive. I see the photos were taken inside. If you are keeping the plant inside be sure to move it outside. Boxwood are outdoor plants and will die if kept inside. Be sure it doesn't dry out outside though, plants in pots need LOTS more attention than plants in the ground.

That being said, you're looking for advice on that 10% of the craft.

I think your first step is very simple though not glamorous. Get a sharp tool and cut away the side of the pot it is in until the side is level with the soil. That will help you see into the pot better. Maybe you could even take a new photo after that.

There are people who will tell you that you should put this into the ground and let it grow for a few years so it will get bigger. This is clearly a tree you want to learn how to style on though so it is fine to experiment on it now.

It is very hard to say which branches to cut off at this point as there are so many leaves it is had to see the "tree" in the shrub.

My best advice would be to do a google image search for boxwood bonsai and get a feeling for what others have done.

~Kirk

 

[delfiend]

Trimmed the Tree

Okay so I took your advice Kirk, and I trimmed the pot so I could see the trunk and roots better. It's got a lovely trunk and even better roots!!

I trimmed down the lower branches and sort of trimmed the rest of the branches into a rough ball-like shape. Here's some pictures

Root and Trunk


Trimmed Tree

 

[lackhand]

I probably wouldn't have cut those low branches off. Though all the leaves make it hard to see inside, it's much easier to fix the mistake of leaving a branch you didn't need than the mistake of cutting one off. Now that it's done though, it looks like the easiest option would be a broom style. You have a nice straight trunk and a bunch of branches that probably all come off the trunk at about the same point, so that's a good start.

I agree with Kirk though, the firs step is to just keep it alive for a while. I killed my first few trees because I tried to do too much too them right away, and didn't know how to take care of them. Now that I'm more comfortable caring for them, I can get away with doing even more than I would have dreamed of at first.

If you want to have a go at doing some more styling now, take a good look inside and figure out where the branches are, and then think for a day or two about what you could do with them. I always try to draw a design out before I start any real work, and then look at it next to the tree again to make sure it seems reasonable. I think on yours you may end up wiring a few branches, and then just let it grow for the year.

Whatever you decide, make sure your having fun!

 

[MinnesotaKirk]

Hey look at that, you can see a trunk now and it is looking more like a tree than a shrub. Since you are just starting out you may want to stop here and just see if you can keep the tree alive. Right now that will be your greatest challenge. Here are some things to think about as you move forward.

1. You are probably going to want to want to get this into better soil at some point. True, this tree has been growing in this pot for a while with this soil but that doesn't necessarily mean this is the best soil. The tree may also be getting root bound and have maxed out this pot. Does that make sense? Read up on soil and repotting. You'll need to learn what type of soil is appropriate for this species and also what time of year you can repot in your part of the country without killing it.

2. Eventually you'll want to remove more branches to open up the canopy of the tree. A common idea is that you want space for "the birds to fly through the tree." Being able to see through the tree, especially the lower part makes it look like an older tree. Don't worry about doing this now though, look at LOTS of photos of boxwood bonsai online and you'll start to see what I mean. On a tree this small it may be more a matter of removing some leaves rather than branches. If you look at how a boxwood grows you'll see that the branches all come out opposite each other evenly around the tree. In a real tree most of these branches would not survive into old age as they compete with each other. The styling to take this from a trimmed shrub in a pot to a bonsai is deciding which of those branches needs to stay and which needs to go. Remember though, just keep this thing alive. That is your greatest challenge right now.

3. This is just a little note but if you get really into this you'll want to get a pair of concave branch cutters. I am assuming you don't have them yet. They make a great gift! If you look at the trunk where you cut off the branches you can see you left a little stub. Boxwood thicken up very slowly. Those little branch stubs are therefore going to be there until the trunk grows so much it will swallow them up. This will take a long time. The closer to the trunk you cut them off the sooner they will scar over and disappear. A concave branch cutter allows you to not only cut off the branch but make a little concave cut actually slightly into the trunk. This heals over fastest. Not a big deal right now but something to think about for the future.

Enjoy your tree and good luck.

~MinnesotaKirk