Page 66 - Ebook cây cảnh Art of Bonsai

66 Top trees: Evergreen stars

Japanese black pine

Pinus thunbergii

Powerful, compact, and full of character, this Key features
pine is the king of the Japanese bonsai world.
∙New shoots can be pruned
It lends itself to a wide range of styles, from
in summer to force a second
formal upright to cascade, and to all sizes. Its flush of growth. This will double
strong, sharp needles and vigorous growth seem the number of branches and
at odds with the sense of age of its flaky bark, half the length of the needles.
but these opposites actually add to the tree’s ∙Make sure the plant’s energies
enormous dramatic impact. are evenly spread or internal
and lower branches will soon
die. To achieve this balance,
Uncut candles lead to remove needles from strongly
normal-sized growth growing areas to restrict energy
and dense, lush foliage
production there and to allow
sunlight—and energy—into the
weakly growing shaded areas.

28 in / 70cm tall
Courtesy of
Mike Rose

A sense of dramatic
tension exists between
areas of dense foliage
and the aged trunk

Looking closer
Top: You can reduce the length of
the needles so they suit the size
of tree you want to grow.
Center: Removal of needles has
created vigor and brought light Choose a pot that
accentuates the
to shaded areas.
masculinity of
Below: Grasping roots give a the tree and the
sense of stability that balances dynamic nature
the tree’s cascading style. of the style

Sharp crank-style
bends add even
more character
to this powerful,
compact tree