| Yorkshire Bonsai Association |
 |
| Work in Progress |
 |
| Chinese Juniper Itoigawa Juniperus chinensis |
 |
 |
 |
| This is the Itoigawa variety of juniper, available from many bonsai nurseries and highly desirable for its compact, deep green foliage. This tree was imported from Japan by Herons Bonsai Nursery. It measures 8 inches high from the rim of the pot and 10 inches wide with the trunk diameter a little over an inch at its widest point. The tree is very healthy and very well rooted in its pot. |
| The tree wired and repotted into a good quality Chinese pot made out of a red clay. The soil is equal parts Akadama and Kiyru, sifted to equal particle size and top-dressed with fine (not dust) Kiyru. The jin has been wired to harmonize with the rest of the tree. Copper wire was used to wire the tree. This is preferable with conifers, especially the Itoigawa. |
| The large branch on the right went, leaving a portion for jin. The reason for this was that the apex moves in the same direction to the first branch. If the left branch was removed, this would have left an unhappy fork with both elements pulling in opposite directions. You will notice a crossing root at the base. This too must be either removed or corrected when repotting. |
| The tree with the bark cleaned and a start has been made to thin out the foliage. At the moment the tree looks a little like three green pom-poms on a stick so a decision will have to be made regarding the removal of at least one of the main foliage masses as, at the moment it is decidedly top heavy |
 |