On the Sunday of Peter Warren’s visit to Northern Ireland we had a smaller workshop for 4 people. This allowed us to look at a few more trees than usual at the start of the session. Not all of these trees were worked on in the workshop. The owners were happy to seek advice and get ideas to allow them to carry out the work at a later time.

However the information given by Peter was well worth listening too. These first two trees are a case in point. Peter talks through two Itogawa Junipers and has a wealth of knowledge to share.

Information regarding the types of growth on the junipers was fascinating and also how much foliage it is safe to remove. You see many junipers styled at clubs and at events and often wonder how they respond afterwards to having 60-70% of the foliage removed in one sitting. I feel Peter’s approach, using knowledge gained in 6 years of training in Japan, makes a lot of sense. You might not get a refined looking bonsai at the end of the session, but it will develope quicker in the long run and be a better tree for it.

Don’t take my word for it, listen to Peter.