64 - EspritBonsaiInternational #101� Spotlight
on Conifers
••• tree to dry out. The tree then
focused all its strength on the smaller,
second trunk, which also partly dried
out, but which formed a principal vein.A little cleaning
The first work consisted of cleaning the
old, inner foliage, removing the bark from
the deadwood, and wiring the preserved
branches, so that the entire plant could
benefit fully from the sunlight and to
return the tree to its former strength.Detail of the dead trunk. The back of the tree in its raw state.Letting in the light
after the trunk has
been cleaned and the
branches flattened.From another angle, there is
already some movement.Cost
In the last few years, it has
become more difficult to
find Taiwanese juniper at a
reasonable price. Since the
Chinese market opened up, it
is not unusual to find that the
price of some trees has gone
up tenfold, sometimes even a
hundredfold compared withwhat they cost at the beginning
of 2000. One needs a little
patience and perseverance to
find affordable trees and above
all to focus on trees whose faults
make them so uninteresting to
the local market that their price
has been considerably reduced.