I’m unsure of the species name of this plant, but my best guess is it is the Chinese privet, Ligustrum sinense. Privets belong to the olive family, Oleaceae. I bought its parent from Kuma Bonsai in San Diego on March 16, 2013. The parent plant died in the winter of 2018 but this sprig survived.
The tree today.
Attaching the tree to a rock with raffia.
My soil mix of scoria, pumice, akadama, and organic matter from a worm farm I feed with kitchen scraps. Recently I have been using less organic material in my mix.
The tree getting acquainted with its rock.
The tree after two summers of growth.
Thickening the trunk with long leaders.
Selecting the branches.
Less than a month of spring growth.
Continuing the process of growing and cutting back.
Monthly pruning. I occasionally added worm soil and other organic fertilizers to the surface of the medium.
Two weeks of growth.
Winter on the bonsai benches.
Repotting.
Good root growth but it hadn’t attached to the rock.
Re-attaching the roots with raffia.
Planted higher in the pot.
Three month’s growth.
Back to the clip and grow cycle.
A year later the raffia is decomposing.
The raffia removed.
Mid-summer.
The tree in the garden about five weeks ago.
beginBonsai 
Reblogged this on Wolf's Birding and Bonsai Blog.
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