24/10/2026
🌲 **A Challenging Transformation – Pinus mugo**
This beautiful Pinus mugo had been waiting for its next styling for quite some time.
Last year Andres Bicocca improved the deadwood.
Originally, the tree had a slanting style, with two major branches growing in opposite directions. This gave us two completely different possibilities for its future design.
The first option was to lift the tree considerably and use the long left branch as a cascading branch, creating a more elegant, bunjin-inspired design.
The second option was a little more challenging and involved taking some risks: keeping the powerful slanting character of the tree while completely changing the direction of the long left branch.
The biggest challenge? **The tree had no real apex**, and creating one from the existing structure wasn’t straightforward.
We decided to go for the second option!
Over a period of approximately 3–5 months, we gradually bent the long branch more than **180 degrees**, using jute for protection and a combination of bending techniques and supports to bring it safely into its new position.
This allowed us to create a completely new apex while maintaining the strong movement and dramatic character of the original trunk.
**At this stage, the tree is not yet visually balanced, but that is part of the process.** With the right techniques, careful pot selection, and thoughtful positioning, we can eventually bring balance to the overall composition.
The goal is not necessarily to make the tree itself look perfectly balanced, but to create balance within the entire composition. By working with the dramatic movement and strong direction of the trunk, we can create even more tension, character, and visual impact.
Sometimes, an intentionally unbalanced tree can create a much more powerful and dramatic bonsai when the complete composition comes together.
The first styling is now completed, but as always with bonsai, this is only another step in its development.
**What would you have chosen? The bunjin-inspired design or this dramatic slanting style?** 🌲
BonsaiDesign MountainPine BonsaiProgress
