These two trees have the same basice structure. They are both informal upright styles of bonsai, only one is full size (for a bonsai) and the other is mame style (super mini bonsai). These are probably my two favorite trees out of the 25 bonsai I am now training. This morning I noticed that their similarity was exagerated by the fact that they had both shed the leaves at the apex of their trunks.

comparison

I’ve shown the big maple a few times on here, and it is still my favorite piece. The little guy is some kind of micro-leaf birch that I’ve been training for two years now.

birch

I was waiting to show it until it got one more growth season and thickened up a bit, but this comparison was too cool to pass up. I am very proud of the little birch. Training it has been a bit of an experiment. I wish I had pictures of the little cutting that it was when I bought it. I have painstakingly pulled and moved every single branch on this tree to the position I wanted.

Here’s a picture of my primary method. It’s much to small to actually wire the branches so I pull them into position using thin string tied to wire anchors. This is a picture of the third or fourth set of strings employed over almost two years.

birch

I now have about 10 shohin or mame style bonsai. They are becoming my specialty. This one is barely over 3 inches not including the pot. just wait til I grow it for a few more seasons.