Juniper bonsai at Sequim Rare Plants

Olympic   Coast  Garden
Juniper bonsai
Juniperus chinensis in a clay pot

Juniperus chinensis

The height of this juniper is 4½ inches, not including the pot. It started as a rooted cutting about five years ago.

The plan for this plant is to keep it at this size indefinitely. To do that it has to be severely pruned every two or three years. This photo was taken in September of 2011. A few months later when the worst of winter weather is past, many of the brances will be removed leaving the plant looking like a skeleton of what it is now. But on the bright side there is a little bit of new growth in the center of the plant, closer to the main trunk that isn't visible in this photo, that will grow to take the places of the branches that are removed. The little bit of new growth on the trunk has been encouraged to grow during the past summer by keeping the canopy of branches open enough so that light and air can reach inside.

For the first year following the drastic pruning, the bonsai won't look like much. In the long run, it is the best thing to do. If it weren't done, the plant would grow too large for this pot.
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