Let’s try a thread similar to “The Bonsai Below Me” thread called Then. . . and Now. The idea is to post two photos of one of your trees, displays or collections, the way it looked way back when and the way it looks today. I’ll get us started with a Chinese elm I acquired as a pre-bonsai in 2000.
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This is a trident maple that I purchased from TC Gardens in Vancouver, WA in 2001. It had been grown in the ground with Chinese styling. I tried to airlayer off the top and failed. the first picture is from 2004 after I cut off the airlayer and prepared to carve the stump on the back.
The second picture shows the sacrifice branches in 2013 to heal the wound and build some taper.
The last picture is from yesterday after I cut off the 5 ft. long sacrifice branches to build up the lower right branch. I need to build a bit more extension of that branch and get a more suitable pot other than the current unglazed oval which is a bit shallow.
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here are some of my shohin trees since i am with Mirai:
JBP 2018
and 2022
Forsythia 2018
and 2023
Olive 2018
and 2023
Juniper 2017
and 2022
austrian black pine 2019
and 2022
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Nice development on your trees Sven. I noticed another development-- you’ve fashioned some “squirrel guards” out of hardware cloth! I’ve done the same. I got tired of them digging up my roots!
I bought this crepe myrtle in the fall of 2020. Good nebari but it was 10-12 ft tall on a 15 gallon nursery can. It was in the back of the nursery out of sight. The nursery owner sold it to me for $50 because it “needed a home”. Did a big time chop and put it in a grow box that spring. I plan to reduce the root mass by a lot this spring to slow it down.
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Good reduction. Looking forward to future reports!
Tim
Here is a Pygmy Cypress I have been working on for the last 2.5years. It started as a seedling from The Jonsteen Company and just repotted it last week.
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Lovely pot tree combo -strong work
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Howdy everyone, thought Id drop one as well 
This was 2019, after a repot from a round collection container to a plastic pot + first styling and the 2nd picture is a 3rd styling fall of 2023 after I wasn’t able to really give it the proper love throughout the growing season.
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