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Sacrifice branches – getting the balance right
A month or two after decandling season is a good time to check and see how the summer growth is filling in. If everything looks good, there’s no need to make a change. If the new growth is weaker than...
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Draft judging instructions for the PBE
For years now I’ve wanted to write a guide to help judges think through the process of scoring the trees displayed in the Pacific Bonsai Expo. It’s one of a small number of exhibits where the...
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Designing bonsai in 3D
We’re used to looking at photos of trees with the camera pointed squarely at the front of the tree. It’s a good way to get the basic idea of a tree’s shape. Korean hornbeam before pruning Half-way...
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An approach to fertilizer and water quality
When I started growing bonsai, fertilizing was simple. I sprinkled cottonseed meal on the surface of the soil and watered with fish emulsion every few weeks. Applying fish emulsion (circa 2010) This...
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Highlights from the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum’s Chinese Pavilion
Imagine you’re in charge of maintaining the trees in the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum’s Chinese Pavilion. Your experience is with bonsai, but from a Western perspective. You begin with a tree...
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A visit to the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum
I spent World Bonsai Day at the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum in Washington, D.C. this year – a fitting location for the event! It had been many years since my last visit to the museum which...
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Bonsai United: new exhibit at the Pacific Bonsai Museum
“How do landscape, native flora, and cultural practices shape bonsai expression?” This is the question Aarin Packard and the Pacific Bonsai Museum investigate in their current exhibit, Bonsai United....
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A visit to the Bonsai Collection at Longwood Gardens
When I was in town for the MidAtlantic Bonsai Society’s Spring Festival I made a side trip to Longwood Gardens. Located in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, Longwood features over 1000 acres spread over...
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What’s your intake process?
Whenever I bring new trees to the garden I look forward to cleaning them up so I can take a closer look. This is especially true when trees have weeds or unhealthy foliage. In general my intake...
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Pot selection exercise – Chinese cork bark elm
When I have the time, I test out every container I can find when I’m repotting to see which I like best for a given tree. Size is the most important attribute to consider (to keep the tree healthy),...
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Highlights from the MidAtlantic Bonsai Societies’ 2026 Exhibit
The Mid-Atlantic Bonsai Societies is a network of eleven bonsai clubs in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Delaware, and Pennsylvania. Each spring these clubs are invited to display trees at the...
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A visit to Masahiko Kimura’s garden
One of the most anticipated stops on our tour this year was a visit to Kimura’s garden. The section that’s open to the public is relatively small and almost exclusively filled with pines and junipers....
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Taisho-en: the garden of Taiga Urushibata
Among the handful of gardens I’m happy to visit every time I go to Japan, Taisho-en is a favorite. World-class trees. World-class work. Taisho-en is managed by Taiga Urushibata. His father, Nobuichi...
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A snapshot of Shunka-en bonsai garden
One of the most common stops on bonsai tours in Japan is Shunka-en, the garden of Kunio Kobayashi. By car or train it’s about 20 minutes east of Ueno Park, home to the Kokufu exhibit, in Edogawa. I...
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A visit to the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum
The Omiya Bonsai Art Museum is a favorite stop of mine on bonsai tours. It provides visitors with a little history about the Omiya Bonsai Village – a collection of historic gardens, several of which...
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Shohin bonsai at the 100th Kokufu exhibit
Each half of the Kokufu exhibit features a small number of shohin displays. The exhibit is set up to present the large trees first, then the medium bonsai, and finally the shohin. They’re the last...
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Part two of the 100th Kokufu exhibit
For the past twelve years, the Kokufu-ten has been divided into two halves. For these double shows, the organizers set up the exhibit and open it to the public for a few days, then close for a day or...
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Special trees at the 100th Kokufu exhibit
Last month the Japanese Bonsai Association hosted the 100th national exhibit, the Kokufu, at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum in Ueno Park, Tokyo. The event was busier than it has been in recent...
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Kouka-en in the snow
For much of the northern hemisphere, seeing snow-covered bonsai in winter is nothing out of the ordinary. For Keiichi Fujikawa, proprietor of the Fujikawa Kouka-en bonsai garden in Osaka, the sight is...
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Highlights from the Bay Area Bonsai Associates 42nd exhibit
Last month the Bay Area Bonsai Associates held their 42nd annual exhibit at the Lake Merritt Garden Center in Oakland, California. The event featured an exhibit, sales area, and Saturday evening...
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