Western Hemlock Bonsai

Western Hemlock Bonsai

Western Hemlock is a member of the Pinaceae family which includes cedars, firs, hemlocks, larches, pines and spruces among other evergreen trees. For bonsai, it is an excellent choice as it lives for hundreds of years, grows in a variety of climates, and is easy to care for.

1. Get a Western Hemlock. Find one, that is shorter than 1 foot, at a garden store or find one in the wild.

2. All Year: Assess the tree’s condition. Is the tree damaged? (Many wounds, missing needles, exposed roots, few branches.) Is it healthy? (Lots of needles, lots of new growth, intact bark.) It’s always good to know how your tree is doing.

3. All Year: Tree Location. Western Hemlocks do well in shade or full sun and in many climates (such as those similar their native climate,) can be left outside year round.

4. Late Winter: Pruning. Major pruning should be done in the late Winter, make sure to cover wounds with sealant.

5. Early Spring: Repotting. Once every two years, before major growth for the year starts, hemlocks should be repotted.

6. Mid to Late Spring: Pruning. When growth is too prolific prune back some of the new growth. New growth is easy to spot as it is bright green.

7. Early to Mid Summer: Wiring. Once most growth has ceased, small gage wire 1/3 of the width of each branch to be wired, should be carefully wrapped around each branch that you want to move into a different position. Don’t worry about kncoking off a few needles in the process.

8. Late Fall: Preparing for Winter. Depending on the climate where you keep the bonsai you may need to put it in a green house to prevent hard freezing, but make sure that the tree stays cold enough that it reaches dormancy for the Winter.

9. Early Winter: Wiring. Remove all of the wires from summer and rewire the tree.

10. Follow a calender of care. Write a calender with all the important dates to remember from this page.