Page 56 - BCI Bonsai & Stone Appreciation Q1 2025

Springer’s Leap: The Journey of a
Juniperus phoenicea from Puglia’s
Fields to Bonsai Excellence
Text and Photos by Francesco Lo Piccolo, exhibitor
and winner of the BCI Excellence Award, XIV Bonsai
and Suiseki Exhibition, Catanzaro, Italy.
The Juniperus phoenicea is a shrubby species of the
Cupressaceae family, native to various areas of
the Mediterranean. This specimen was collected
in 2015 in Puglia. After a phase of rooting and stabiliza-
tion, it was extensively studied and observed to identify
potential solutions to enhance its features.
The evolution of this yamadori led to its being named
“Springer,” symbolizing its first “leap” from a sunlit
field to a pot and later, with much creativity and skill, a
rotation of nearly 90° to achieve its current inclination.
During these stages, the main challenge was to keep the
root system and vascular structure of the plant alive.
The achieved position highlights the qualities of the
54 | BCI | January/February/March 2025