Bonsai Gallery

Lofty
Spring 1999 the tree just after collection. I left it in this box for just one season.	September 2002 good strong growth and colour. Time to begin considering this trees future.
January 2003 after initial styling and small amounts of carving. I like to style yews in the depths of winter and have had very good results over the past few years. There is still some carving to do but at this stage the work is more about branch selection than a 'finished' image.	June 2003 new pot and new foliage. I stop the new growth by tip pinching in order to balance the vigour of the tree. The second bud break will really bulk up the foliage on this tree. At 36" this is the tallest tree in the garden. It has it's problems but I like the lazy sweeping lines. The trunk displays nice fluting and, unusually for a yew, nice flaky bark.
Summer 2006 The whole tree is maturing very nicely. The foliage mass is too heavy overall but this will improve as the growth tightens up over the next few years. The shari and live veins are coming along nicely. I am increasingly convinced that native trees are better for bonsai here that Asian species. Just look what this tree has done in 7 years! click to view larger image