Dwarf Yaupon Holly Bonsai

Dwarf yaupon holly also called schillings holly is the slow growing hardy shrub many gardeners love to trim into little balls.

Dwarf yaupon holly bonsai. Yaupon holly has been on my mind this week. Dwarf but fat yaupon holly bonsai. Yaupon holly s fast growth rate and small leaves make it a perfect choice for topiary. It is one of eleven hollies native to florida.

A nice yaupon holly hunt might be in order. Its foliage consists of dark green evergreen oval to egg shaped leaves. How to trim a dwarf yaupon holly into a bonsai shrub dimensions. We ll get to the name in a second.

It usually grows as a shrub but occasionally may be found as a tree. The botanical name for this particular specie of holly is ilex vomitoria nana or dwarf yaupon holly. I m doing a demonstration on one tonight at a club meeting of the american bonsai association sacramento and have been collecting notes on their care. Dwarf yaupon holly bonsai care general information.

You can train your yaupon holly into a small tree with the lower branches removed revealing the interestingly contoured multiple trunks. These fine leafed hollies are a huge favorite for south florida because they re extremely easy care and provide a distinctly formal look to the landscape. Always use sharp disinfected bonsai shears to prune your dwarf yaupon holly. Since i began working on yaupon holly known formally as ilex vomitoria i ve grown to really appreciate the variety.

The botanical name for this particular specie of holly is ilex vomitoria nana or dwarf yaupon. Wait until new shoots. There are many variety names from stokes schilling bordeaux micron and more but the key element in their use for bonsai is a strong branching habit and a trunk that seems to thicken faster than the wild native tree. But it makes wicked bonsai.

This is a yaupon holly ilex vomitoria. It is native to the southeastern united states and is typically used as a hedge shrub. Hopefully i can stumble on to a nice gnarled specimen soon. It will grow in full shade to full sun but the more light it has the more dense its foliage will be.

One of my favorite species for bonsai is the dwarf yaupon holly ilex vomitoria nana. I wish i could find some material like this i ve looked everywhere at local nurseries and online bonsai nurseries without much luck. It s well suited for bonsai as it has small leaves grows fast and ramifies quickly if you know the trick. Because dwarf yaupon holly already grows to smaller dimensions it is well suited for bonsai training.