Grown from a seedling found in the garden in 1985 Rowans are not generally very popular for bonsai as they have long pinnate leaves which take time to reduce if at all. However after all these years it is looking ok and this year I defoliated it at the end of June.
That means I removed all the leaves leaving the short leaf stem to drop off as new leaves emerged.This helps to produce a new flush of leaves that are smaller and more in proportion to the tree.
The last photo shows it now with more leaves still bursting out, successful operation, thought it must be done at the right time in early summer allowing time for the new growth to emerge.
Before anyone shouts ‘cruelty to trees’ that is no more than simulating a late frost when a tree can loose it’s leaves, or in the wild where animals eat the young shoots and leaves and the tree goes on to produce more.
And by the way bonsai training, trimming and whatever is certainly no more drastic that training an espalier fruit tree or trimming and training a topiary hedge only it is done with a lot more TLC. Bonsais are certainly the most pampered trees around.
See NEW latest photo Oct 11th 2015 – below
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- Rowan bonsai June 2015
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- Rowan bonsai defoliated. End June 2015
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- Rowan bonsai new growth after defoliation End July
Well worth doing that leaf prune back along, in fact it came first in our club Tree of the Month competition, mind you that was in the beginners class and there were only three entries 🙂
Over thirty years recording the rural scene in water colours
Michael Coopers Studio 
A great tree Michael! I’m training a few of these myself. An elegant image like yours is maybe the best we can hope for with this species. As for cruelty to trees, I’ve always thought that was a nonsense argument – if we followed that line of logic we’d never cut the grass in the garden! You’re right – bonsai trees are pampered trees:-)
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