Many of the trees that I have been working on over the winter are now putting out new growth and I wanted to give you an update on the way they look now.

Leafed out

Of all my trees the one I am enjoying most is this crepe mrytle.  The crown of the tree from the new top I developed is looking great.  I just need a mid branch on the left side and this tree is ready to go.  However the pads looking a bit flat so this year I plan to work on the taper and overall thickness of the branches themselves.  This tree won’t be this bare  when it is completed,  Right now I am just building the skeleton structure, but it will be this year that this tree becomes a finished bonsai.

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I always like to share information to help other people display their trees.  Although a lot of work goes into styling and caring for the tree, it is the finishing touches that really make your tree stand out in a display.  Some easy touches are adding a fresh top layer of soil mix, and cleaning the bonsai pot. 

Surface soil prior to show

New Soil applied and the rimmed oiled

Here is the tree with just a quarter inch of new soil added and fresh moss.  In order to bring out the great color of the pot I apply a thin layer of walnut oil.  It has a nice satin finish compared to other oils.

The pot before oil applied

As you can see there is no depth to the pot and the color is a bit washed out.

Ready for show

What a difference!  Just look how much better the color is.  Even though the pot has a shine to it now, the oil will soak in and take the strong oil look away.    With just a few minutes of effort the tree went from plain and ordinary to a real treasure.

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