Let's take a peak at the climatic changes affecting this little Douglas Fir tree growing in a small blue ceramic bonsai pot.

In this article I will share photos of how this tree has progressed over the season, with recent updates on direct changes I have applied to the tree to alter its artistic shape for the future.

April

Back in late April of 2025, it was exciting, as this was when the tree first awakened from dormancy.

How do I know?

Magical pom poms of new green needles sprout from mostly the terminal buds, meaning buds on branch ends.

These buds frequently form in clusters of three on the most energized branches. Weaker branches will form two buds, one bud, or none. It is a bit of a random gamble.

Since most of the buds only form at the end of the branches, and needles fall off the older branches, it becomes a race for the tree to continue growing up and out, while the interior forms a rugged bark to strengthen the branches to hold more weight.

Any branches that grow few buds, and fail to receive enough sunlight to sustain the health of its needles, those branches will drop yellow needles in Autumn, and might die back completely.

Since the goal of bonsai is sometimes in contrast with this tree's natural habits, I get very excited if the tree forms multiple buds along the interior length of branches. These rare buds often only form where needles are growing on very dominant, healthy branches.

Lateral branches are more likely to form additional interior buds.

At this time of year when the Azaleas are popping, and the Tulips are still trumpeting the end of Winter, the Douglas Fir is best left alone, and simply enjoyed with quiet observation.

Early decisions can be made when all the buds have finished opening.

Historical Information

ID: 0010

Nickname: Christina

Type: Douglas Fir

Age: 13 years

Grown: yamadori (collected from my own yard)

Last repotting: late spring 2025

Wired: June 15, 2025 (see results further below)

Pinching

The technique of pinching buds, is a beneficial process for most trees in Spring.

Trees, like animals, have a tendency to overproduce to compete with the environment in order to survive.

In a garden, with a helpful caretaker giving the tree every advantage, it actually benefits the tree to reduce the uneven buds overproducing on the most dominant branches. This allows underproducing, weaker branches to become more dominant and healthier. The entire tree becomes more balanced, and healthier as a result.

Think of it like a zookeeper who files down the chipped hooves of the animals so they don't break a leg or ankle, or develop an infection.

Most of the buds that get pinched are the trident buds.

By pinching the middle or side bud off, I can almost double the life energy that goes into each of the two remaining buds. This promises more more light, and less competition for space in these tightly congested areas.

As an aesthetic choice, the middle bud is often removed, to prevent the limb from continuing to elongate, straight out, like a pole. Side buds always grow out diagonally from the branch end.

In areas where lots of small branches are forming tons of terminal bud clusters, and interior buds, I sometimes prune out redundant branches entirely. On this tree, I removed some upward budding branches, as they might overcompete with the main trunk to produce a twin trunk form. Multi-trunk style is not my preference on this tree.

Anywhere I am lucky enough to find interior buds forming, I pluck off the terminal buds, to promote the limb's energy to instead elongate the interior buds to branch out.

The nice thing about this strategy is I can keep all the older needles growing past the interior bud, which will continue to feed the tree light energy through photosynthesis. And, I can also avoid radically changing the current profile of the tree.

A beginner might make the mistake of pruning back all the way down to an interior bud. The branchwork removed might still produce more interior buds, if it was left untouched. The branchwork removed might also help feed the interior bud, to ensure it will survive and not wither from lack of nurishment.

Fertilizer can help the roots find nutrients, but only the needles are capable of manufacturing sugars for the tree store up, needed to keep the tree alive all year long.

Results of Pinching and Light Pruning

Lots of open space on the interior areas becomes visible.

In modern (or classical, depending on your teachers) bonsai theory, a good tree design is not too complicated for untrained eyes to understand the basic design concept for the tree. The beginning and end of the branches is clear. The trunk is fully visible. Primary branches can be easily counted. The tree style, in this case a formal upright, is easy to identify.

Still, this tree is very much in development. It will become more impressive over the years as the surface roots thicken, and the bark becomes crusty.

The eventual vision I am heading for is a conical tree with many needles fanning out around a taped columnar trunk, with ancient, thick bark, and strong, bracing surface roots. A basic Christmas tree style with a sacred grove ambience.

June

Now it is the middle of June, and the tree has been adjusting to Summer heat, and longer days of sunlight.

The April buds have extended into new June branches, and the new needles are blending in with last year's needles.

Even on a heavily twisted branches, the needles adapt miraculously to always aim the shiny greener side to face the sun. A bit like a thousand solar panels laid out in flat angles to absorb maximum light.

Even by moving the facing position of tree, it will force the needles to gradually re-adjust to face to ideal angle to face the South sun. That is probably why it is recommended not to move potted trees and plants too frequently; the constant changes can stress the plant.

There probably isn't much of any pruning I need to do on this tree. From a top view, the budded branches have successfully filled most of the available space top to bottom around the trunk.

The only thing I think I can do to help the shape is to wire some of the furthest branches to tuck them in a little bit. This will fill in some of the weird bald spots where branches have no needles, or where old branches have died off. I also prefer a more even circular shape to define the space of the tree.

After Results of Wiring Some Limbs

By training the low spreading branches to droop closer alongside one another in a softer downward slope, it creates the illusion of a slight cloud pruned pad of green.

I had to be a little careful to avoid training them into matching triple parallels. Parallel lines are not very natural looking, as a general rule. So I used the wire to force a little bit of dissimilar curvature into each limb.

On the branch above it, it only needed a twist down towards the back to separate it from being shaded by other touching limbs.

On the right side, I did decide to prune off one distracting, long upward limb. With wire I directed the remaining, more evenly distributed branchlets to fan in a slight cascading direction together.

One design principle, in bonsai, is to angle the oldest, bottom branches slightly downward. Middle branches more parallel to the earth surface. Upper branches should always be more dense, short, and curving up to the sun. That is generally the way branches normally develop in nature.

Bonus

Triteleia penducularis

One of the new plants I purchased for the garden has bloomed in June. It was sold at a plant fair, ideal for our local climate, so I had no idea what the flower might look like.

This one was a bit of a mystery, I admit. It has long grass-like leaves, a bit like an onion. Apparently it grows from a bulb.

Figuring it might need lots of sun, but not super dry soil, I buried it under the outside of my Daisy patch to shield its roots from drying out on hot days. The leaves looked long enough to stretch out and pierce up through the daisies.

Silver dollar sized, six petal, white stars. Slightly green striped. Clean, white center attracts nectar-loving butterflies.

Tell me what you think.

Slam-dunk, right?