The Tree That Survived My Freezing Winter In the winter of 2017, we had a cold snap in my area that dropped temperatures to negative 20°F for three nights straight. I was worried sick about my bonsai trees. I had wrapped most of them in burlap and buried the pots in mulch, but I ran…
The Tree That Changed Everything for Me In 2015, I went to my first big bonsai show in Washington, DC. I had been doing bonsai for about three years, just working with trees from local garden stores. I thought I knew what good bonsai looked like. Then I saw a 60 year old Shimpaku Juniper…
The Tree That Survived My Worst Bonsai Mistake In 2016, I made a huge mistake. I took a Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta) from the Colorado Rockies at 9,000 feet, brought it home to Denver, and in July, right in the middle of the summer heat, planted it in a shallow bonsai pot. The timing could…
My First Encounter with Pinus sylvestris For a long time, I thought Japanese Black Pine was the only proper bonsai pine. I assumed people who were serious about bonsai would only grow Pinus thunbergii, maybe White Pine at most. Scots Pine did not seem like a bonsai tree to me, only a wild tree from…
The Aleppo Pine (Pinus halepensis) is a strong and beautiful tree that comes from the Mediterranean region. It is famous for its hardiness, its pleasant pine scent, and its rugged natural look. Many bonsai lovers enjoy growing it because it can survive tough conditions and can be styled into many bonsai shapes. What is Aleppo…
A long time ago, farming in the Middle Ages was very hard work. Farmer didn’t have trucks or other fancy tools, but they did have smart tools that helped them grow food. Take a look at these unique tools: 1. The Plow: The plow was like a strong horse in ancient fields; it broke through…
American Beech Bonsai may seem sophisticated, but it’s simply a fascinating method to grow a little tree that resembles the large ones you see in the forest. In this article, you’ll learn how to cultivate and care for your own American Beech Bonsai. What is American Beech Bonsai? American Beech Bonsai (Fagus grandifolia) is the…
Introduction: What does variety mean in farming? It means having a wide range of plants and animals on our farms so they are healthier and more productive. We will talk about why variety in farming is important and how it impacts our food, the earth, and the farmers who grow it. Types of Diversity in…
Syntropic agroforestry is a fascinating approach to farming that mimics the way plants grow in natural ecosystems. In traditional farming, big fields of a single crop are common. But in syntropic agroforestry, different types of plants are encouraged to grow together in harmony. We’ll talk about the basics of syntropic agroforestry in this article. We’ll…
