Bonsai Shimpaku

The foliage is needle like on young trees and scale like on older trees.

Bonsai shimpaku. Shimpaku juniper bonsai trees juniperus chinensis shimpaku the shimpaku juniper is a dwarf irregular vase shaped form of the chinese juniper juniperus chinensis. Shimpaku juniper are one of the most popular species for bonsai within the bonsai community. Originally native to japan they were first collected in the 1850s in japan. In this article mr.

Nursery shimpaku in nursery pots should not be more expensive than most similar size pots of other species. Koji hiramatsu will demonstrate how to create a 7cm shohin shimpaku juniper. Nursery stock should be relatively affordable. Its attractive foliage and beautiful bark make this one of the top candidates for bonsai.

It prefers rocky well drained soils. It is getting toward the end of the summer for much of the northern half of north america and many landscape nurseries are having sales. Shimpaku chinensis is also known as the chinese juniper while the shimpaku itoigawa is from japan. What the heck is a shimpaku.

The longer prostrate branches tend to intertwine. With a bit of wire you could transform this tree very easily into a nice shape or stick it in the ground for 5 years. The shimpaku is very hardy long lived and tolerates many adverse conditions. Indeed by 1900 the shimpaku juniper became accepted as one of the classic species used in bonsai.

Both are from the same family of juniper and make an excellent choice for bonsai. In its natural range it is most often found growing near the sea. Height 15cm width 10cm. Hiramatsu will be the 4th generation owner of shunshou en the most renowned pine bonsai nursery in japan.

In this episode we look at the meaning and history of shimpaku juniper where did the term originate in japan what does it apply to today and what are the differences between the term s varieties and cultivars. Many wild trees have been collected in japan making it extremely rare to find growing wild. During the early years of its popularity there was an extreme shortage of shimpaku particularly compared to the mainstream trees used for bonsai at that time such as japanese red pine.