Root-over-rock Japanese black pine by Suthin Sukosolvisit. No major restyling, but still a striking improvement. Sutin's caption reads simply... "Japanese black pine 2011-2013" The original before and after photos are from Suthin's timeline

Still on vacation, so we’ll simplify by borrowing from our archives. This one first appeared here almost exactly one year ago

Continuing with before and after bonsai from two days ago… A big part of bonsai involves transforming rough stock into beautiful, or at least passable bonsai. However, it’s equally important to do the periodic work necessary to keep a bonsai beautiful, or soon enough it will lose its shape and start to look like just another plant in a pot.

Before. This was taken after a period of undisturbed growth. For most types of trees (especially temperate zone trees), allowing new growth to remain undisturbed is necessary for maintaining health. This new growth is where the vigor of a tree is most concentrated, so continually cutting it back will sap (no pun intended) the tree's vital energy.

Continued from above…
Allowing a tree to just grow on its own for a while is essential to its health, and bringing it back into shape after this period of unrestrained growth is also essential. And of course, each time you bring a tree back into shape, it’s done with a eye to continued development and improvement.

After. What a difference an expert hand and eye can make.

I cropped this one to get a closer look at the trunk and rock