One Green Shoot

Botanical Name: Juniperus grandis

Common Name: Sierra Juniper

Story of the Tree

Around 2022 I spotted an interesting pot at the Mammoth Bazaar sale — and inside it, what appeared to be a completely dead tree. No green anywhere. I took a chance, up-potted it into a larger container, and knocked off as much of the waterlogged nursery soil as I could.

Nothing happened for several months.

Then a single green shoot appeared. I began pinching the tips of every new growth, and over the next couple of years, many side branches developed. In October 2024, a workshop with Bjorn Bjorholm gave the tree its first real styling. It has since been repotted into proper bonsai soil and rewired into the form you see today.

I expect to see a dramatic improvement over the next couple of years.

Exhibited by David Curbow