Flowering quince and pot by Haruyosi. You might wonder why he left the wilted flower at the top. Maybe he wanted to show the process uncleaned up. Or reveal something about fleeting beauty, a common theme in Japanese art and literature
It's time for Haruyosi, our favorite tiny bonsai master. Today it's a few little Quince bonsai. The first two were photographed while flowering and again after the flowers were removed
Removing flowers is about health. Big flowers on such small trees take their toll. Too much energy is put into flowers at the expense of the rest of the tree. In other words flowers are more about the survival of the species (and our enjoyment too!), while healthy leaves, roots etc are more about the strength and survival of the individual tree.
Same tree, moments later. Now the leaves can grow unabated
Another tiny quince with leaves that are a little more advanced
Where'd that white flower come from?
Look at all those buds! Though this one is still in a growing pot, judging by the power of the little trunk, I'd say it's ready for a bonsai pot
The two trees at the top of this post are single petal flowers. This one looks like a double
Here's the little quince from the top of the post, displayed at a spring show
Here it is again, from another angle and a little fuzzy, but still beautiful
Another Haruyosi quince at the same spring show
There's something about the purity of quince flowers and this shot pretty much says it all. It's another Haruyosi from a post we did eight or nine years ago