The Grove Bonsai

The Grove Bonsai Miami based bonsai artist 🌴
Teaching you how to source, style, and care for your bonsai tree. Garden open by appt
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06/14/2026

Trees make a lot more sense when you start thinking of them as a network of pipes and pumps.

I’m not talking about the actual movement of water through a tree. It’s just an analogy for how energy and growth are distributed.

The leaves act like pumps. The more foliage a branch has, the more energy it generates and the stronger its growth becomes. As that growth gains momentum, resources are increasingly directed toward the strongest growing tips.

When you cut those tips back, all of that momentum suddenly has nowhere to go. Instead of continuing outward, the tree redirects energy into dormant buds, weaker branches, and lateral shoots. That’s how we build ramification.

Once you see trees this way, a lot of bonsai techniques start to make more sense. Growing branches out before cutting them back. Sacrifice branches. Why strong apex growth weakens lower branches. Why unchecked extension growth creates long, coarse branches instead of fine structure.

This buttonwood was allowed to grow freely and build momentum. Now that I’m cutting it back, I’m redirecting that energy into lateral shoots and dormant buds. With a little luck, that means more branching, more ramification, and a fuller canopy by the end of the season.

06/13/2026

For the last few months, I’ve been quietly working on something that I’m finally ready to share.

I’m creating an online bonsai course built around the fundamentals. It’s about stripping away the noise and helping you understand the core principles that drive good bonsai design, development, and care.

Whether you’re just getting started or you’ve been practicing for years, a strong foundation makes everything else easier.

My goal is simple: keep bonsai approachable, practical, and enjoyable while giving you the knowledge to make better decisions for your trees.

If you’d like to be the first to hear about the release, join the email list here or in Bio

https://catchy-star-59887.myflodesk.com/jfgggxjthq

More details coming soon.

06/02/2026

Hey hey hey look at my cool literati buttonwood bonsai! The new pot I put it in reminds me of a sunset on the beach. Thats all…carry on 🏝️🌅✌🏼

Pot by

06/02/2026

This buttonwood has been teaching me patience.

What first caught my eye was the powerful base and weathered deadwood, but the design you see today didn’t exist when I brought it home. I like trees that challenge me but to be honest, this one scared me a little bit.

Much of the living structure was grown and developed over the last two years.

There were countless possible paths for this tree. Different fronts, different planting angles, different stories. In the end, I was drawn to a design that feels shaped by the forces of nature rather than by my own hand.

One of the things I love most about bonsai is that we’re not creating something from nothing. We’re stepping into a story that’s already been unfolding for decades, sometimes centuries.

“Bonsai is sculpture in slow motion.”

This tree feels like a reminder of that.

bonsaidesign floridabonsai grovebonsai

05/22/2026

Here is my 2026 bonsai display for the show. I really wanted to honor the traditional Japanese approach to displaying bonsai while still leaving my own artistic fingerprint on it. I wanted the composition to feel architectural and light, but still grounded and calm.

These Blue Bell flowers famously smell like grape soda so the word “effervescent” kept popping up in my head.

The whole display became a study in contrast and color, the soft purple flowers of the blue bell (Desmodium) against the yellow tones of the Dahlberg daisy accent. I used a custom travertine stand along with a handmade jita carved from Purple Heart wood for the accent piece.

I love the old traditions of bonsai display because they create a framework, but within that framework there’s still room to experiment, interpret, and make something personal.

If you’re in the Orlando area this weekend come check it out at the Florida Hotel and Conference Center.

The last bald cypress repot of the season.There’s something so elegant about this tree. I try not to over-manicure it, l...
02/08/2026

The last bald cypress repot of the season.
There’s something so elegant about this tree. I try not to over-manicure it, letting it keep a bit of its wildness.
It’s gone through a few iterations over the years — you can see the earlier versions in the slides, with the last one dating back to 2020.
A constant friend, year after year.

01/15/2026

I grew this tree from a seedling.

A few days ago, during repotting, I found a gnarly root crossing the front of the trunk. I tried every mental trick to justify keeping it… but eventually realized it had to go. So I removed it and carved a small hollow in its place.

I’m really happy with how it turned out. I’ll deepen and refine it over time, but the story is already there.

01/04/2026

This bald cypress was collected one year ago and left completely free to grow as it recovered. Just letting it regain strength and do its thing.

I found it growing in a boggy area where the soil stayed wet even during the dry season. That constant moisture meant shallow roots and made it a surprisingly easy dig.

Repot thoughts
I’ve had great results growing bald cypress in regular potting soil when the goal is vigor. The tradeoff is long coarse roots. Once a tree starts transitioning into bonsai, I prefer a standard bonsai mix. This one is now in pumice, lava, and akadama.

Styling
I went back and forth between a more traditional design and a flat top. The long tapering trunk ultimately made the decision for me. A flat top felt like the best way to highlight that line. My Dremel broke recently so the top wound was carved entirely by hand. I was intimidated at first, but slowing down actually made me like the result more.

Inspiration
I’ve always drawn inspiration for bald cypress from . Tall trees, slender silhouettes, lots of presence without bulk. That was the starting point for this design.

This one should explode with growth next season, and I’ll keep directing it from there, removing unwanted growth and increasing ramification. Still very early, but I’m excited about where it’s headed.

01/01/2026

This started as a simple bougainvillea cutting.
No fancy material. No big budget. Just time, patience, and learning what’s worth growing.

When I first got into bonsai, I let “I don’t have the money” or “I can’t grow that here” slow me down. What changed everything was learning how to source material and where to put my energy. This tree is a reminder that some of the best bonsai start as almost nothing.

If you’re early in your bonsai journey and feeling stuck, I put together a free PDF that breaks down 4 places to source bonsai material—what works, what doesn’t, and what to look for.
Link’s in my bio 🌱

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