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P. Afra Bonsai No. 1

Acquired 2020 from cutting Picture from July 12th, 2026 I cut some small bits off of a neighbor’s jade and grew this. From what I gather they’re really easy bonsai as they can tolerate pruning, repotting, and not getting enough water very well. If anything, I tend to overwater mine.

Coffee Cabinet

This project started with my being tired of clutter on our kitchen counter and deciding I should build something that looked decent to store things in. It was both a fun design challenge, which I still have a lot to learn from, but also I threw in some new joinery — dovetails and stopped dados…

Lavender Starflower

Grewia Occidentalis #1 and #2 Acquired 2020 – Lavender Star Flower (Grewia Occidentalis) I bought two of these in 2020 from https://www.bonsaify.com/ for $25 each. They’ve been a bit challenging as they need a lot of sunlight and water, in comparison to some of my other trees. I bought two of these in 2020 from…

Juniper No. 1

I bought this from a nursery and styled with the help of Addison in December 2022. Repotted winter 2023 year and did a 2nd styling in summer 2024.

Juniper No. 5

I bought this tree as a small whip at a show and added some bends in it to start with. I’ve mostly been growing it out to thicken the trunk, but also started adding shari in 2025. In 2026, I repotted it into the pot show up top. The plan now is to keep growing…

Ficus No. 1

Acquired 2020 I bought this ficus as one of my first bonsai. It’s got the classic mass-produced bonsai trunk s-curve, but rather than replace it, I’ve been trying to work with it. 2020: ~2025 July 2026 – after a cutback

Japanese Black Pine No 1

Acquired 2024 Just before decandling in 2025: I bought this tree at an auction in February of 2024 for fairly cheap, knowing that it would be a good deal of work to condense it into a more showable tree. I didn’t have any Japanese Black Pines at that time though and wanted to try one…

Accelerating Learning: Bonsai and the Art of Management

I used to loathe having  anyone tell me I needed “more years of experience” to succeed at something. Now that I have more grey hair and joints that don’t work as well, I have to admit that some things do simply take time. Though I still think this phrase is overused when people don’t have…

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