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Received before yesterday Bonsai Tonight
✇Bonsai Tonight

Designing bonsai in 3D

By:Jonas Dupuich
15 August 2026 at 05:06

We’re used to looking at photos of trees with the camera pointed squarely at the front of the tree. It’s a good way to get the basic idea of a tree’s shape.

Korean hornbeam before pruning

Half-way done

Front view – after partial defoliation

What this approach can hide is what a tree looks like from the side.

Left side

Back

Right side

To provide a better idea about the size and shape of the tree, this Korean hornbeam is 18″ tall, 27″ wide, and 23″ from front to back. The surface roots are 11″ wide, and three inches above the soil the trunk is 7″ wide.

The tree’s shape isn’t a perfect cone. The top branches are positioned towards the front, a common convention in bonsai design.

For my taste, the apex is too far forward. Over time I’d like to tilt the planting angle to position the top of the tree further back – maybe not right above the base of the trunk, but further back than it is now.

I’d do this all at once but it would change the appearance of the branches and make the tree look crooked in the pot. Instead, I’ll make minor adjustments over the coming years to see if I can create the shape I have in mind for the tree.

(Clockwise from top left) left side, back, front, right side

News & Updates

[Local Show]

  • The Redwood Empire Bonsai Society is hosting their annual exhibit on August 22-23 at the Rohnert Park Community Center, 5401 Snyder Lane, in Rohnert Park, California.

    The event features an eighty tree exhibit and demonstrations both days from 1:00 – 4:00 by Sam Tan. Shopping options include member tree sales and a great selection of trees and supplies from thirteen vendors.

    I’ll be vending at the event so feel free to stop by and say hi!

[Regional Show]

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