The Green Island ficus after its first styling, with wired branches and fresh new leaves, its brown pot tilted on a wooden block against a black backdrop
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A Year with My Green Island Ficus

From its early development to its first major styling with Hugo Zamora Luna

Watch the video

I first came across this Green Island ficus (Ficus microcarpa ‘Green Island’) in December 2024 while visiting Penjing Bonsai Gardens in Melbourne, Florida. Something about the tree caught my attention, but I left without buying it. When I returned in August 2025, it was still there, and this time I decided to bring it home.

The Green Island ficus, dense with foliage, in a brown pot on the slatted benches of a shade-covered nursery, among other bonsai
At Penjing Bonsai Gardens, December 2024.

Over the following year, I spent time getting to know the tree and thinking about its future. One of my first major decisions was removing a large branch that was relatively straight, lacked taper, and didn’t contribute much to the direction I had in mind. Beyond that, I largely allowed the tree to grow while considering the next steps in its development.

In the summer of 2026, I decided it was time for its first major styling. I started by completely defoliating the tree to expose the branch structure, followed by cleaning up unwanted growth, selecting branches, and wiring the entire tree.

The ficus with all its leaves removed, its aerial roots and tangle of branches exposed, on a turntable beside a pair of wire cutters
Defoliated, with the branch structure exposed, July 2026.

The final styling was done alongside my teacher, Hugo Zamora Luna. Working with Hugo is always an opportunity to learn, and I particularly enjoy hearing his thought process as he evaluates a tree and makes decisions about its future. Rather than simply showing the finished result, I wanted to document those conversations and the work that went into getting there.

The Green Island ficus in August 2025, a dense mound of foliage spilling over the right side of its brown potBefore
The same ficus in August 2026, styled and wired, its pot tilted to a new angle and its branches leafing out againAfter
August 2025, soon after it came home, and August 2026, growing back after its first styling.

This was also my first attempt at producing a longer bonsai video. Between setting up cameras, recording the work, experimenting with timelapses, editing, and recording narration, I learned quite a bit about the process. There are certainly things I’ll do differently next time, but I’m glad I took the time to document this stage of the tree’s development.

The ficus is far from finished. For now, it’s back on the bench, growing and recovering as I look forward to the next stage of its development.

Watch the Progression

The video documents the tree’s early development, defoliation, cleanup, wiring, and approximately 14 minutes of styling and discussion with Hugo Zamora Luna.

Green Island Ficus Bonsai - A Year Developing, Defoliation, Wiring & Styling with Hugo Zamora Luna

Watch on YouTube

Hugo Zamora Luna runs Kodama Bonsai Estudio in Xochimilco, Mexico City: Instagram · Facebook