Quote:
Originally Posted by topfiverecords
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I know this is a joke... but when I saw the Japanese garden in Lethbridge... every time I look at my juniper trees and shrubs, I have inexplicably wanted to sculpt and bonsai the hell out of my juniper plants to make them look unique and cool.
I looked into it and I don't think it would be much more complex equipment wise than a hedge trimmer for basic shape and pruning shears for small branches. After that you can just pluck stray leaves by hand. But then I'd need to know how to evaluate how to bonsai a tree.
The dude at the Japanese garden told me that once you get your branches and shape where you want, you basically just pluck for the upkeep. He said he puts in around 10-20 minutes on an entire 10ft x 10 ft bush there every 2-3 weeks (obviously he's a pro though working on a high traffic garden). He said pinching off the leaves vs using a pruning shear made it softer. He was so damn proud of the rounded juniper bush he was working on and he was saying that pinching it off made it feel softer. As a pleb, I'm certain I could get away with 2-3 times of 10-20 minutes per year of upkeep after it's set up.
