Author Archives: Bonsai Nerd

Bonsai Pinetum Species List

Below is a shopping list if you’re wanting to create a bonsai pinetum. You may want to explore alternative species to include, if so the Gymnosperm database is a fantastic resource. ARAUCARIACEAE Monkey puzzle tree (Araucaria araucana) and/or Wollemi pine (Wollemia nobilis and/or Kauri (Agathis australis) CUPRESSACEAE Basic (5 genera): Hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa), Dawn […] Read more… >

Pathogens – nasty tree microbes

A pathogen is a microorganism such as a virus, bacterium, oomycete (water mould) or fungus which causes disease and/or death.ref Examples you might have heard of include Dutch Elm disease (caused by the fungus Ophiostoma ulmi), Horse Chestnut bleeding canker disease (caused by the bacterium Pseudomonas syringae v. aesculi), Ash dieback (caused by the fungus […] Read more… >

Conifer flat leaves

Flat leaves are found across the conifer families including Taxus, Cephalotaxus, and even in Pinus (check out Pinus krempfii) as well as many of the Araucariaceae and Podocarpaceae families. Commonly known trees with this leaf shape include all varieties of yew, swamp cypress, dawn redwood and coast redwood. Here are some examples: Conifer flat leaves […] Read more… >

Why do some conifer leaves go bronze in winter?

You may have noticed that certain conifer species’ leaves go a different colour over the winter without dying. This phenomenon is most associated with Buxus (box) and Cryptomeria japonica (Japanese cedar) which take on a range of bronze, reddy-brown colours, as shown in the examples below: Although it may look a bit alarming, these leaves […] Read more… >

Conifer Leaves

I’ve been planning a post on this subject for a while because conifers have always been a bit scary to me from a bonsai point of view – they don’t seem as forgiving or obvious in terms of their growth behaviour. This was one of those subjects which ended up being a lot more interesting […] Read more… >