This is my Snowberry that I started from some a tree I dug up from a garden. I am trying to grow as bonsai and I will be going through its progression below.
It still needs a lot of development, but I still think it’s coming along nicely.
If you want to watch it in video format, you can watch the YouTube playlist below. The videos show the progression every month throughout the year, sort of like a time lapse.
Just be aware some of my earlier videos are not the best quality, but just like my trees, the quality slowly improves over time, so stick with them and they both get a little better towards the end.
The Snowberry, also know as Symphoricarpos or Ghostberry is a small semi-deciduous shrub that is known for its small white berries and is part of the honeysuckle family.
It is a common garden shrub as it can grow in pretty much any conditions and its white berries. You can read more about their suitability in Is Snowberry A Good Tree For Bonsai?
Page Contents
2016
I found this tree in an overgrown communal garden I was clearing. It was covered in brambles and actually had a wasps nest growing on it. Of course the wasps stung me, so I took my revenge and destroyed them and decided to take their home.
It was the summer so I had to wait until the following year to take the tree.
2017
As spring started to approach I dug the tree out and potted it up and then left it all year to recover.
2018
2018 pretty much the same. It was just left alone all year to grow and get strong.
However, the tree was stolen by my neighbour near to the end of the year. I managed to get it back a few weeks later. He said he had only been looking after it, as you do.
2019
In the spring of 2019 I was moving house. I couldn’t take everything with me and this tree was too big to take.
However, I liked it and I didn’t want to just leave it for the neighbours, since I had gone to the effort of getting it back. So, I cut a section off and potted it up. It had some roots, so it would be fine.
I didn’t take any pictures, but if we look at this picture from 2017, the green area is the part I removed and kept.
The tree actually grew well in spring, despite its recent operation, so I pruned it back.
It grew well after this so I pruned it again and then wired some branches into position. This species is a very aggressive grower, so I could get away with this.
It had actually grown really well by summer, so I pruned it back again.
After all this it was then left for the rest of the year to grow freely.
2020
I pruned it back at the start of the year and then repotted it in spring when the buds started to swell.
I put it into a nice little pot, maybe it was a little early for this, but I’m sure it will be fine and I like how it looks.
It grew well and it was trimmed back in summer.
It bounced back from this and grew very strongly, so I pruned it again and then left it for the rest of the year to recover.
2021
I started 2021 by pruning back the tree at the start of the year. Once the buds started to swell it was repotted in spring.
It grew well so it was pruned back at the start of summer. I was mostly removing the unwanted shoots at this time. This tree will send a crazy amount of shoots out all over the place that you really need to stay on top of by removing them.
I then pruned it again in midsummer. It’s a fast grower, so is always ready for another pruning.
It was then left for the rest of the year to recover.
2022
I pruned it back at the start of the year and then repotted in spring when the buds started to swell.
After this I left to grow out and pruned back at the end of spring.
The tree grew well throughout spring and it was pruned back in the summer.
After this, it was slow to bounce back, especially the top, so it was left alone for the rest of the year.
2023
It was not a good start for this tree in 2023. As it had not grown much after the summer 2022 pruning, it didn’t need any work done in late winter of 2023, there was just no new growth to prune back.
I also did not repot it. The lack of growth made me think the pot was probably not full, even if it is in a small pot, so I just left it, and i was very glad i did.
The new growth in spring was very weak, in fact I was certain that the new buds just didnt look normal.
The tree too a long time to wake up, and the top, which had been looking weak last summer, seemed to be really struggling to wake up.
As time went on, the lower branches finally started to show normal leaves and growth, however, the top was dead. A huge set back for this tree.
This species is very aggressive and the work i did in 2022 was not that extreme, but for some reason it just seemed to struggle with it and didn’t bounce back and the true effect of that was seen in summer 2023. The top of the tree dying is extremely annoying, but things like this happen.
The tree was left alone and not worked on at all during the year, so hopefully now it will be back to full health and vigour.
2024
My plan with this tree is sort of the same. I will just keep letting it grow and pruning it back, but now the top is dead, i will have to grow a new leader. This had nice trunk line with taper, so this will need to be rebuilt, which may be difficult in the small pot.
So some changes may be needed …BUT …the tree is alive, so that is the main thing.
If you also have a Snowberry and are wondering how I look after it, you can read my Snowberry Bonsai Care Guide.
Hi, I’m Ian. I have been doing bonsai since 2014. I created this site to spread all the knowledge I have acquired over the years. Don’t forget to check out my Youtube videos where I show the progress of my own Bonsai each week or connect with me on social media.
You can read more about me and how I got into Bonsai on the About Page
