Clik here to view.
Daisaku Nomoto AMA
hi this is a number so is this hi this is a bullet? bullet number 2 hi this is a heading and this is p text
View ArticleClik here to view.
Daisaku Nomoto AMA
Last Saturday, Daisaku Nomoto responded to questions posed via Ask Me Anything (AMA) at Ask Bonsai Tonight. Jeremiah Lee and I talked through the questions with Nomoto along the way and recorded his...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Bay Island Bonsai Exhibit this weekend
This weekend Bay Island Bonsai will host its 16th annual exhibit in Oakland, California. Admission is free – you’re all invited! BIB is hosting an auction Saturday and a demo Sunday. In addition to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Members’ Choice Awards – BIB’s 16th Annual Exhibit
This past weekend marked Bay Island Bonsai’s 16th annual exhibit. As I remember the plans that went into the first exhibit, it’s hard to believe that so many of these events have come to pass. A lot...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Nomoto critique at BIB’s 16th annual exhibit
Just before the doors opened for day two of Bay Island Bonsai’s 16th annual exhibit, Daisaku Nomoto and Boon Manakitivipart led a critique for BIB members. Some comments focused on the displays, others...
View ArticleClik here to view.
More highlights from BIB’s 16th annual exhibit
Like it does every year, Bay Island Bonsai’s annual exhibit seemed to wrap up just as it was getting started. It was a blast, and as always I wish I’d had more time to enjoy the trees. Poring over the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Bountiful Bonsai
Bountiful Bonsai: Create Instant Indoor Container Gardens with Edible Fruits, Herbs and Flowers, by Richard W. Bender. Tuttle Publishing, 128 pp., $14.95. Available from Tuttle. Interested in growing...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A bonsai garden in the rain
I’d like to return, for a bit, to Boon Manakitivipart’s visit to Japan this past fall. Among his photos were a handful from a familiar garden, that of Mr. Okamoto in Central Japan. Okamoto is among the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A visit to Daiju-en bonsai garden
I’ve always enjoyed photos from other people’s visits to great bonsai gardens. Sometimes I recognize the trees and can see how they’ve changed over the years. Other times I’m seeing them for the first...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Shinpukuji Temple Bonsai Museum
Just outside the city of Okazaki, itself outside the larger city of Nagoya, lies Shinpukuji Temple, a complex first built in the 6th century and home to an impressive bonsai museum. The museum was...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Fall work at Shinpukuji Bonsai Museum
Last fall, Boon Manakitivipart brought a student from Thailand to work with him at Shinpukuji Bonsai Museum. Removing leaves from a Chinese quince Some of the work involved removing leaves from...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Yaupon holly – before and after
It’s fun to see where bonsai come from. The journeys trees make from seed, layer, graft, cutting or point of collection can be subtle or dramatic. Rapid or dramatic changes are exciting, but continued...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Cork bark black pine from graft – follow up
Two years ago, I started a few cork bark black pines by grafting (See “Creating cork bark black pine“). The grafts took, and that fall I began reducing the foliage on the host tree. Now, one year...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Repotting young cork bark black pines
Repotting recently grafted young pines is just like repotting non-grafted pines, only additional care is taken to avoid damaging the union. Grafted cork bark black pine After removing the pot Note the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Too much of a good thing
As I worked my way through the repotting of many pines this winter, I found a young specimen that’s beginning to take shape. Nice, I thought, it even has a good root base. Then I looked closer. Black...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Time for a smaller pot
First develop the trunk, then work on the branches. That’s how I think about bonsai development. If the trunk has yet to reach its final size, I use large pots and encourage vigorous growth. When I’m...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Feed me!
What’s wrong with this picture? Cork bark black pine The tree is growing, but there is no sign of fertilizer. With tea bags filled with cottonseed meal That’s better. The sooner I can start...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Bay Area Bonsai Associates 34th Annual Exhibit
This past weekend the Bay Area Bonsai Associates, affectionately known as BABA, held their 34th annual exhibit at the Lakeside Garden Center in Oakland, CA. The exhibit featured bonsai in formal and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Evaluating bonsai at BABA’s 34th annual exhibit
Things we look for at bonsai exhibits: healthy, beautiful trees in well-thought-out displays, clean pots and attractive top-dressings. This much is true for almost any bonsai exhibit. It’s when we...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Bonsai Society of San Francisco’s 55th annual exhibit
Last week the Bonsai Society of San Francisco held their 55th annual exhibit as part of the San Francisco Flower and Garden Show held at the San Mateo Event Center. This was the first time I was able...
View Article