A GOOD BONSAI MORNING to you! I found this wonderful Boxwood as a round, ragged, outdoor shrub in a ten gallon plastic pot at Home Depot this past spring. But pulling apart the thick foliage I found a trunk that seemed to have potential. Parting with $40, I brought it home, cut away more than half the roots (encased in dry, hard clay) and radically trimmed and shaped the foliage. Then I waited to see how it would respond. It went crazy! Seemed to love the new soil, the watering and daily care, even the pruning.

Now the beautiful trunk is there for all to admire, with a bonus of a glorious root system partially exposed. The only problem? A red squirrel or some other Forest Monster came along and chewed off two thirds of the bark around the trunk, nearly girdling it. But the tree seemed not to even notice, and I have since sprayed it with deer-repellant stink-um, which has prevented further depredations. And now I have a lovely, ‘windswept’ little tree to greet every day! And to wish a good, bonsai morning to you…