Bonsai season!

I found this Japanese boxwood at a local nursery for $25 and almost screamed with excitement when I started looking through it. I bought the plant immediately.

After cleaning out all the dead leaves and debris, I found a marvelous trunk and branch structure and even potential extra trees.

Upon closer inspection, I saw at least four good branches with their own root systems that could be cut away and made into shohin style (really small) bonsai.

This is where I separated the rooted branches from the parent plant

Here's a shot of the side before I started separating the trees.

I used a bent fork as a rake. I'm first world poor and I don't have hundreds of dollars to spend on legit bonsai tools.

I shouldn't have, but I did wire a few of the little ones to train them into the shape I want. The reason I shouldn't have wired them is because the trees can get over stressed. A general rule for bonsai is to limit your work to one insult a year. (Insult, as in pruning, wiring, root trimming, etc. I'm not calling these trees names.)

Mama tree is out of the pot and ready to be heavily insulted like the dirty dirty whore she is.

Using my trusty tree dinglehopper I removed the used up soil and raked out the roots. Boxwood is highly tolerant of most of the insults you throw their way, just don't be a total dick.

After trimming down the roots and separating the two biggest trees, I found yet another smaller tree. That makes six boxwoods for $25. I'm definitely happy with that purchase.

Now that all the trees have left the mother plant, they're ready for potting.

I have so many ideas going through my head on how to style these, but it'll have to wait until next year.

This is the other side of the previous tree. I haven't decided on which side to make the "front" just yet. That'll have to wait until I get them into some proper bonsai pots.

Here's mama in all her glory.

I buried this one a little deep so that roots can develop higher up the trunk.

And here's the whole family. I did put one into a small bonsai pot, even though this is not the right style of pot for this tree. I'll post updates if anyone shows interest. Or I'll just post updates that'll die in usersub. Either way, I'm just happy to share my hobbies with someone.

These are the only tools I used. If you've ever wanted to get into bonsai but have been hesitant because of the price of equipment or trees, don't! Trees can be collected from many places like your own home or even from the side of the road (with permission from your local Department of Transportation or the land owners, of course.) Please, please, please do not be a plant poacher. Or a poacher of any kind. Unless it's poached eggs. Those are tasty little things.