Appreciation of another work by an Indonesian bonsai master

A few days ago we shared a work by Indonesian bonsai master Budi (Growth Diary | A Bonsai Master's 9-Year Journey to Create a Classic). Today we continue to share another of his works.

▲2004

Just like the tree we shared a few days ago, this tree also comes from Puerto Rico in Central America, and its Chinese name is unknown. It is a species of shrub in the Nyctaginaceae family unique to Puerto Rico. In the Americas it is a fairly common bonsai tree species.

▲First styling

It was initially designed as a three-trunk style. After styling, it was appropriately wired to control the direction of the branches.

▲Summer 2005

The distribution of the three trunks was slightly crowded, so in the spring of 2005, the middle trunk was removed, turning it into a two-trunk style. After more than a year, the branches and leaves had already grown so lush that the speed of growth was astonishing.

▲Late 2007

The basic framework of this tree had formed and it was approaching its finished form. During this period, care still focused mainly on pruning.

▲Spring 2012

As time went on, the leaves grew more and more lush and full, and the form became more and more natural.

▲Red fruit

As can be seen in the photo above, the leaf size is very well controlled. Under natural growing conditions, the leaves are much larger.

▲The leaves of small plants grown from cuttings are much larger.

▲Cutting branch vs. bonsai branch

In the photo above, the left side is a cutting branch and the right side is a bonsai branch, showing that the difference in leaf size is enormous.

▲Comparison of cutting branch leaves and bonsai leaves

The reason bonsai leaves become smaller is thanks to a rich branching structure. When a tree has more branches and more leaves, the leaf size will naturally shrink.

▲Photo with the author

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