Entry #30
Korean boxwood (Buxus microphylla var. koreana)
USA
63.5 cm (25")
Before
Korean boxwood is native to Japan, Korea, and presumably parts of Manchuria; certain cultivars are cold-hardy to USDA Zone 4.
This specimen was part of a hedge for a number of years; when the hedge was removed, the owner offered the individual boxwoods for sale at our 2012 bonsai club auction. He had trimmed them all enough to be able to handle them easily.
This clump was 25″ tall when obtained. I removed a few dead twigs and potted it up, since it was still in the garden soil; and left it alone for the rest of 2012.
I like the movement of the primary trunk, the condition of the bark, the image of age and maturity, and the design possibilities offered by this clump. My intent at this point is to pursue a classic 3-trunk “father-mother-child” design, with a 5:4:2 size ratio among the individual constituent trees.