Cloud-pruned plants
Cloud-pruned plants are amazing, sculpture-like trees pruned and formed using the ancient Japanese art of Niwaki. Niwaki-style trees and shrubs take many years of dedication and patience to reach the desired look. Many plants are well over twenty years old by the time they reach their full potential.
Cloud-pruned plants have dynamic stems and pads on their selected branches that, when mature, resemble clouds stacked on top of each other. Every branch has been carefully selected with the overall look of the mature plant in mind. The pads may have plant supports like strings attached to them to keep them in the ideal position until they are ‘set’. The aim is to create branches that look heavy and sagged from many years of exposure to what nature has thrown at them. Please do not remove these supports unless you are certain that the branch holds its position without support.
Our clouds come in 60 liter or 130 liter pots and range in height from 1.6m to 2.2m.
How to buy
For enquiries please call Claudia on 021 258 1842, or email your questions via our contact form.
These exclusive plants are only available in limited quantities.
Care instructions
Please refer to the care instructions to find out how to get the best from your Niwaki plants
Ilex Crenata
Slow growing, dense, evergreen Holly. Provide full sun to partial shade and moist, well-drained soil in a sheltered location.
Ilex Crenata
Ilex Crenata
Juniperus chinensis ‘Kaizuka’
The Chinese Juniper will thrive in full sun and needs well drained soil in the ground or in a pot. It tolerates wind, drought, and cold weather. It prefers a low fertility soil, so don’t be tempted to over-feed or over-water this conifer. J. ‘Kaizuka’ are very sought after and only come ready from time to time. This is our ‘top shelf’ option, the undisputed queen of Niwaki at ArtiZen.
Juniperus chinensis ‘Kaizuka’
Juniperus chinensis ‘Kaizuka’ 130 litre pot
Juniperus Squamata ‘Meyeri’
Evergreen conifer with attractive steel-blue foliage. It prefers dryish, well-drained soil and a sunny position. This particular Juniper benefits from grooming about once a year to remove dead needles and to allow young growth from the base of the pad to flourish.
Juniperus Squamata ‘Meyeri’ – before trim
Juniperus Squamata ‘Meyeri’
Podocarpus Totara Aurea
Beautiful gold to lime green foliaged native plant with a dense, bushy habit. It is hardy for both coastal and inland areas and likes full sun or partly shaded positions. Golden Totara is very tough and tolerates dry and windy conditions.
Podocarpus Totara Aurea 2m
Podocarpus Totara Aurea 1.75m
Podocarpus Totara ‘Matapouri Blue’
This cultivar of the native Totara is characterized by its blue-grey foliage. It is slow growing, trims well and, like all Totara, grows in coastal or inland sites and windy or dry positions.
Podocarpus Totara ‘Matapouri Blue’ 1.9m
Podocarpus Totara ‘Matapouri Blue’ 1.7m
Podocarpus Totara ‘Pouakani’
This Totara has mid-green tones and trims well. It is very hardy and can be grown in sunny or part-shade positions. It can tolerate high-wind areas and copes with salt spray as well as higher altitudes.
Podocarpus Totara ‘Pouakani’
Podocarpus Totara ‘Pouakani’ – two crowns