Common Juniper Varieties for Bonsai
When trying to develope a bonsai tree, there are a lot of different species that you can choose ranging from deciduous trees to evergreen conifers. Certain species of trees lend themselves to bonsai because of their growing habits. These trees tend to have more compact growth, smaller foliage, and interesting trunk texture.
One of the most popular species of trees used for bonsai is junipers. These trees tend to have very flexible branching and grow in patterns that allow for easy back-budding, which makes them very easy to develop pads and layers when styling. Smaller junipers are also very affordable.
Amongst junipers, there are subspecies as well that work very well for bonsai and great for beginners . One of the most popular is the chinese juniper or shimpaku juniper (pictured). However, many of the other varieties also work well including the juniper procumbens nana, prostrata juniper, foemina juniper (these have very sharp foliage), and san jose juniper.
When moving onto collected material or yamadori, popular varieties of junipers include the California juniper, rocky mountain juniper, sabina juniper, utah juniper, and sierra juniper. There are also many other varieties of junipers throughout the world that can also be used.
So next time, you come across a juniper, see if it has the qualities suitable for bonsai and start applying some wire. You'll be surprised how much you can do with a juniper.
When trying to develope a bonsai tree, there are a lot of different species that you can choose ranging from deciduous trees to evergreen conifers. Certain species of trees lend themselves to bonsai because of their growing habits. These trees tend to have more compact growth, smaller foliage, and interesting trunk texture.
One of the most popular species of trees used for bonsai is junipers. These trees tend to have very flexible branching and grow in patterns that allow for easy back-budding, which makes them very easy to develop pads and layers when styling. Smaller junipers are also very affordable.
Amongst junipers, there are subspecies as well that work very well for bonsai and great for beginners . One of the most popular is the chinese juniper or shimpaku juniper (pictured). However, many of the other varieties also work well including the juniper procumbens nana, prostrata juniper, foemina juniper (these have very sharp foliage), and san jose juniper.
When moving onto collected material or yamadori, popular varieties of junipers include the California juniper, rocky mountain juniper, sabina juniper, utah juniper, and sierra juniper. There are also many other varieties of junipers throughout the world that can also be used.
So next time, you come across a juniper, see if it has the qualities suitable for bonsai and start applying some wire. You'll be surprised how much you can do with a juniper.