In July 2010 (Winter), I called in on a friend that grows some high quality bonsai stock at Robertson, in the Southern Highlands of NSW.
Dean has around 3 acres of growing fields with most planted out to Japanese Black Pine, Juniper and Japanese Maples.
Growing fields
I picked up two Japanese Maples grown from cuttings in 1992, two Shimpaku grown from cuttings in 1991, and a Japanese Black Pine from seed in around 1999.
Shimpaku
Japanese Black Pine
Packed into the car for the trip back to Canberra
Japanese Maple
Japanese Maple
Japanese Maple
After potting the trees up, I let them grow for one season, fertilising every week in addition to organic fertiliser cakes. Only the old needles were removed on the Shimpaku and JBP, and a few large branches on the Maples we cut back to 3cm stubs.
These trees have progressed quite since then, most got an intitial styling this year to set up the main branches and all have buds extending well this spring.
Aijou Bonsai 