Beyond the basic styles of chokkan (formal upright), shakan (informal upright), kengai (cascade) and so forth there are several that don’t fit neatly into those categories. The divisions are arbitrary to an extent, but like any specialty they evolve over time to help bonsai artists guide and discuss their work.
Some of the more common advanced […]

Choosing the Plants
Choosing the correct plants for the area available, area of country the tree will be grown, and how many trees a person is interesting in tending; all of these factors contribute to making a wise choice for a tree which will bear the most fruit and live the longest.
To determine if container fruit […]

A large number of people find themselves with gopher problems on their property and want a natural solution to eliminate their gopher problem.
The number one choice for many people when attempting to rid themselves of gophers naturally is the use of traps. One of the traps used by some individuals is rattrap. These rattraps are […]

Trees are amazingly self-sufficient. They take in needed elements from the environment without having to move to fetch it as animals do. But that can be a limitation as well, since they are dependent on finding what they need nearby.
In the case of most trees, elements leech through the soil and into contact with the […]

Wild roses are considered as being abundant on the western prairies, especially when water is anywhere nearby. As well, they like direct sunlight and strive on it, and so if you are planting wild roses then you are going to want to make sure that you plant them in an area where they are going […]

Neem oil is something that has been around for along time. From the Neem plant and tree, you find this oil in many regions of the world. It is not used for cooking, but in many places, such as India and Bangladesh, you will find it used in different kinds of products for people, such […]

Few subjects in bonsai care are as complex as watering. What should be the simplest thing in the world is actually the most complicated. Apprentices in Japan will perform many duties for their first few years before being allowed to water the trees. Incorrect watering practices kill more bonsai than any other factor.
Bonsai soil is […]

Snakes can be a bother when it comes to your yard. No one wants to see a snake. Not to mention that some snakes are very dangerous – they are simply not what you want to have in your yard at all! If you have a snake problem, you are probably going to want to […]

The Japanese have a word, ‘wa’, that roughly translates to ‘harmony’. It refers to relations between individuals, and man and nature. But it can also refer to the elements comprising a work of art. The art of bonsai uses this concept when coordinating the choice of species and style with the container in which the […]

When it comes to the planting and maintaining of a flower such as a rose, there are many different things that you need to take into consideration. This is because roses themselves are very different from any other type of flower, and so you need to make sure that you understand certain matters about roses […]

Unfortunately, pest control is not always as quick and simple, as we would like it to be. In a perfect world, insects, rodents, and other pests would never find their way into our homes in the first place.
However, that is not the case, and these pests often make our home and yard their own. For […]

In the past several years, the squirrel population seems to be getting larger and larger. Some believe that these squirrels are getting smarter and avoiding some of their largest pitfalls, including crossing the road! This makes squirrel pest control that much more of a necessity. It is up to the homeowner as to whether it […]

When most people hear someone talking about having an organic garden, people want to know how they can do it too.  Organic garden pest control is as old as dirt itself.  What a lot of people forget is that humans had organic garden pest control methods since the first farm.  And while it seems very […]

Junipers are, along with pine, another of the common species sought by beginning bonsai enthusiasts. And for good reason: it’s a beautiful species that tolerates a wide variety of conditions well.
Junipers make an especially good species for the kengai (cascade) style in which the trunk and branches grow out over the pot and below the […]

French vegetable gardens can easily be considered as being one of the most popular types of vegetable gardens out there, and there are many good reasons for this.
Why Are French Vegetable Gardens So Popular?
One of the main reasons as to why French vegetable gardens are so popular is because they are so easy to start […]

Moles can create a large amount of damage to your lawn and grass as they tunnel while seeking out food. Mole holes not only look horrible on lawns; they are also potentially disruptive to the root systems of garden plants.
There are a variety of solutions you can create from household materials to eliminate moles before […]

Though no bonsai is easy to train or care for, pine is among the easier species. More tolerant to drying, they adapt well to a pot and often require only regular trimming and biannual repotting.
In the wild, pine commonly grow to 50 feet or more with trunks that are a foot in diameter and larger. […]

Maples come in a variety of sub-species, but all of them make beautiful bonsai trees. Slightly more difficult to care for, they are nonetheless greatly in demand by bonsai enthusiasts. Their leafy appearance is attractive, particularly in the fall when they turn to yellow and red, just as do the full-sized maples.
Some varieties thrive well […]

There are many different types of roses out there that you have to choose from, and tree roses are one of the types that are out there. Tree roses are a really great type of roses, and if you are interested in learning about how to plant and take care of tree roses, then you […]

Houseflies make up 98 percent of flies that invade homes, and considered to be one of the filthiest insect pests. The housefly generally breeds in decaying organic matter and feed on manure, garbage, and food left out by humans. Flies contaminate everything they touch and spread many human diseases. There are many chemical means of […]

Say ‘art’ and most will think of painting or sculpture. There is a kind of sculpture, though, that takes as its raw material not stone or wood but a living tree. That is the art of bonsai.
From the Japanese word for ‘tree in a tray’, Bonsai is the art and product of shaping trees by […]

Vegetable gardening can be done virtually anywhere, but vegetable gardening in Florida has some extra benefits.  The warm weather that the state enjoys means that temperatures should allow gardening year-round.  This lack of snowy weather makes vegetable gardening in Florida a constant source of foods.  Of course, the plants you grow are subject to the […]

Today’s featured flower photos are of sunny daffodils - enjoy!
This was taken by Katinka Kober of Hessen, Germany:

And this one was taken by Greg Olsen in L.A.:

Thanks for sharing the photos - and if you’d like to share a photo or see a flower featured here, leave us a comment!

Pesticides serve a great purpose to humans, as they are effective in ridding the home of unwanted pests. However, pesticides aren’t just harmful to pests; they may also be harmful to human beings and their pets. Pesticides must be disposed of and stored properly after use. Improper disposal or storage can be hazardous to the […]

You’re thinking about planting roses for your garden or to decorate outside around your house. If you want to spruce things up a bit, but are not too sure how to go about it, and then read about a few tips that will guide you on your journey of rose planting. It’s not that hard […]

Kengai (Cascade)
The cascade style is among the more beautiful and desired, but also more difficult to achieve. The trunk grows down below the level of the container, often twisting as it does so.
In nature, a tree growing near a cliff subject to heavy snows, avalanches and wind may assume this inverted position. Those forces are […]

Since bonsai are grown from ordinary, not dwarf, species, their small size is primarily the result of pruning, both branches and roots.
Though much learning and experience is required for proper soil preparation, watering and other needed skills, no other aspect is so critical for making the bonsai more than just a small tree. It’s the […]

Probably the most famous of all rose gardens borders the west wing of the oval office at the White House in Washington, DC. Despite its name, there are more than roses planted in the 750 square foot garden. While roses are the primary flowering plant in the rose gardens, daffodils, hyacinth, tulips and many other […]

There are many things that you might have thought of using when it comes to controlling pests. However, did you know that organic is something that is always going to end up being best – and that orange is among one of the best forms of organic pest control?
It is true. Oranges have long been […]

For many people pest control includes three strategies, which include prevention, exclusion, and eradication. The most important strategy for home owners may be prevention, and they must be able to control a pest infestation before it grows out of their control, and practice these methods on a regular basis to prevent pest control visits from […]