Coprosma 'Karo Red' (aka Mirror Plant) - UPDATE

 this excerpt is the latest entry to the Photo/History page for Karo Red; click to visit or use the menus on the r-hand side of every page.

 2 or 3 days ago, I noticed that the Coprosma's foliage was looking dull, dingy, not the usual evergreen "shiny" leaves & looking closer, saw that foliage was wilting & dying.

We have had unusually hot weather this summer, in fact, the last 6 weeks have constituted one of the hottest summers ever recorded. On further inspection, it seemed that the potting mix was unusually wet, as if the plant was not using any water..I have had this plant (as well as my entire collection) in a Cactus & Succulent mix for the past 18 months or so, but I have not previously encountered anything like this.

I aerated the soil with a chopstick, removed the top dressing & let the soil dry out for 24 hours..the soil appeared "dusty" after drying out..watered deeply, but after another 24 hours, observed that the tree was not taking-up water & that the potting mix had largely become muddy.

This is one of my older plants & other than some leaf burn from an accidental liquid ferilizer spill, has been among the best behaved..he survived the chemical spill & regrew the burned foliage; he survived "bonsai-fication" without a whimper..root pruning & potting in a 3" deep Bonsai tray did not faze him & in spite of the heat this summer, I thought the plant was doing well

This morning, I will de-pot the Karo Red & take a look a the roots..he MAY just be root bound, but that would be too easy. I suspect a complete breakdown & failure of the potting mix & have already made the decision to repot this little tree in an inorganic mix. (my intention is to completely do-away with the old potting mix..no more dirt).

Looking at the Coprosma after de-pot, & he sure isn't "root-bound", so we can eliminate that theory. After rinsing-off the roots & taking a close look, the roots look & feel OK. They are not mushy, no greasy black areas. although I feel like the lack of more feeder roots after this much time is disapointing..he should have developed more roots just under the base, I think..I wonder if the aggregate top dressing I've been using was too thick &/or too tight around the base of the trunk? 

No evidence of "root rot", so maybe I can save this tree..I am attached to Red..not because he is a particularly good looking specimen or that he is a rare or unique tree, but because he is one of my earliest acquisitions & has survived my bumbling efforts, up till now.

Nothing left to do now but re-pot, using the Bonsai Mix & hope for the best. I have been advised to water him in after the repot, keep him out of the direct sun & leave him alone for a couple of days

Only time will tell..check back in a couple of days.

Pittosporum tenuifolium - 'Beach Ball Kohuhu' - UPDATE

exerpted from the Photo/History page for Beach Ball Kohuhu where you can see the full history for this tree.

Sept 8, 2026

The Kohuhu had a good summer so far, filling out & growing new branches & developing a curved trunk that I think will probably become a permanent feature of this tree. 

Back-budding has restored much of the foliage & is a promise of what is to come. He has thrived in 4-6 hours/day of direct sun & our July-Aug heat has not fazed him.

The foliage is now assuming the classical shape & glossy-green that characterizes the Pittosporum. (compare to Wheeler's Dwarf )

I'm hoping that the leaves do not grow much larger than they are now..one of the problems with dwarf or miniatures trees is that they retain larger leaf sizes which are out of scale with the rest of the plant.

I will continue the same regimen for this plant going forward as he obviously happy here, on the patio.

Dwarf Japanese Juniper (Juniperis procumbens 'Nana") - 2.0

 this is an exerpt from the Photo/History page for Japanese Juniper 'Dwarf' (Juniperis procumbens 'Nana')

I've had an eye out for another juniper, although I wouldn't call it a search, I've been waiting for the cheap, $10., "nana" (another name for dwarf) plants to show up at the nursery. I need more conifers for the collection & winter is coming when my maples, citrus & others will be "napping".

I forgot to take the "before" photo before I started preliminary pruning ..opening-up the tree by clearing the overhanging foliage to reveal the trunk & base. You can see the rim of the nursery pot, which I cut-away to be able to see & get at my task.

Little by little, as we remove foliage, the shape of   a bent-looking trunk, old & twisted, possibly shaped by wind or as the plant reached for sunlight.

As I removed more foliage, I began to realize that the trunk actually bends back on itself, forming a 'U' shape. In addition, the plant was seated at an angle in the pot, suggesting that originally, this 'nana' might have grown perpendicular or on a small incline.

The hard part of style-pruning, or pruning in general, is knowing when to stop, but that is easier said than done. I may well have over-pruned this little tree, already.

And, I've decided to hold-off on a repot until I've had a chance to see how this tree reacts to what we've done so far.

Creeping Fig (Ficus pumila) - UPDATE

 excerpt from latest entry to the Photo/History page for Creeping Fig (click to see)

It's hard to see in photos, but our Creeping Fig is looking healthier & happier. The color of his bark, the depth of color of his leaves, particularly new foliage.

I have done almost no pruning this summer, preferring to let the plant show me where he wants go go, now that he's stripped-down to his "fighting weight".

It took a few weeks to see, but now you can see how he's forming a canopy, following the natural curve of his trunk, branches are beginning to line-up in a row, repopulating this little tree from the top down.

Still haven't determined a front side/backside, but again, I'm going to leave it up to him to make the choice. 

This specimen started as a "reclamation project" & now is becoming a full-fledged member in our collection.

Projects don't always work out, but I can't complain about this one.

The plan for this tree now is to continue to observe & intervene only as required. I don't expect him to grow much bigger, although once he has regrown a full canopy, he should "fatten-up" starting at the base. He has the potential for developing a nebari but it is still pretty early in the game to worry about that.

Welcome Meyer Lemon to the Patio

exerpt from the Photo/History page for the Meyer Lemon;

 Please welcome a new addition to the collection, a Meyer Lemon (Citrus x Lemon x 'Meyer').The Meyer lemon is sweeter than other lemons with only a slight tartness, and is said to taste a bit like a tangerine, or a navel orange. It is often used to season fish and seafood.

Aug 2026

 Meyer lemon is a small, broadleaf, evergreen, flowering, woody tree in the Rutaceae (citrus) family. It is most commonly grown as an ornamental, though the fruits are edible. Native to China and introduced into the United States by Frank Meyer in the early 1900s, it is a cross between a citron and a mandarin-pomelo hybrid, distinct from the common or bitter lemon.

This specimen was grown from a cutting & took a little over a year to reach this size. Plants grown from cuttings will exactly reproduce the parent plant,

This plant prefers full sun to partial shade and consistently moist, well-drained soil. It prefers drying out and then receiving a   watering. 

The best performance and fruit production occur in full sun. Fertilize only while growing, spring to fall, and reduce watering during winter months. Prune branches to improve airflow and maintain a smaller size. Fruit clusters can also be pruned to one or two fruits to produce larger, healthier fruit.

Pruning plays a very important role in growing the most successful tree; this keeps the plant in shape and avoids unnecessary overcrowding plants to leave room for the lemons. It allows the plant to receive the proper airflow, which enhances the plant to grow strong and well while also preventing the plant from any potential diseases.