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Mame bonsai at BSSF’s 55th annual exhibit
The Bonsai Society of San Francisco’s recent exhibit featured a display of mame (“bean” sized) and other small bonsai. In it were some of the best tiny trees I’ve seen. Mame and shohin bonsai Japanese...
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Pinching spring candles on black pine
The basic premise behind developing material for bonsai is straightforward: first build the trunk, then focus on the branches. When building the trunk, encourage vigorous growth to thicken the trunk...
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Artisans Cup – submissions now open
Show us your best, your boldest, your most beautiful and your most inspiring trees. With this, the Artisans Cup opened submissions to the general public. For those who haven’t heard about the event,...
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Stratifying pine seeds
If you’re looking to plant seeds this spring, now may be a good time to do it. Considering how warm this winter has been in Northern California, January may have been a good time to get started, but...
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Cleaning up a black pine
I’m only now getting to some of the work I’d lined up for last fall. For some varieties like junipers, this poses no particular challenge. For pines, basic seasonal tasks like cutback and needle...
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Repotting black pine in nursery soil
Sometimes during repotting, I feel like I’ve passed a point of no return. The feeling struck when I was working on a black pine this past winter. After combing out the roots – there’s no going back The...
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Juan Andrade AMA
Last month, Juan Andrade responded to questions posed via Ask Me Anything (AMA) at Ask Bonsai Tonight. Jeremiah Lee was at Aichi-en studying with Junichiro Tanaka at the time and coordinated with Juan...
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Spring watering for recently repotted trees
Last week, Michael Hagedorn offered some great advice about watering recently repotted trees in spring: To sum up, only read the moisture level where there are roots to determine when to water. – from...
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Napa Valley Bonsai Club 2015 Exhibit
Last Saturday the Napa Valley Bonsai Club held their 2015 exhibit at the Senior Center in Napa, California. The one-day event featured a good-sized display area indoors and vendor area outside. I had...
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How to improve ramification by reducing large branches
A common problem of bonsai in early stages of development is that large branches extend from the trunk all the way to the edge of the tree’s silhouette. This is especially true for material that was...
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Michael Hagedorn AMA
Last week, Portland bonsai professional Michael Hagedorn participated in an AMA (Ask Me Anything) at Ask Bonsai Tonight. His responses shed light on topics ranging from fertilizer to pots to cuttings...
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A visit to Michael Hagedorn’s garden
On a recent tour to Oregon, Eric Schrader and I had the opportunity to visit Michael Hagedorn’s garden. It was quite a treat. The garden is filled with trees on the fast path to becoming awesome...
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A visit to brendenstudio
In 2002, I visited the Bonsai Society of Dallas convention featuring Masahiko Kimura. The event’s exhibit included a composition that got a lot more attention than the others. Thirteen years later, I...
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Judging bonsai at Bay Island Bonsai meeting
This month’s Bay Island Bonsai meeting featured some of my favorite activities – evaluating bonsai and bonsai display. Boon regularly gives members opportunities to hone their understanding of judging...
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The Portland bonsai tour continues
I’m always surprised at how lush and green spring is around Portland when the dogwood, rhododendron and hawthorns are in full bloom. Driving between bonsai gardens in the area provided ample...
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Amazing pines at Bonsai Mirai
I’ve been thinking about how to introduce Ryan Neil’s garden and school, Bonsai Mirai, and have decided to let the trees speak for themselves. Enjoy :) Ponderosa pine Ryan Neil telling the story of the...
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Junipers of Bonsai Mirai
Ryan Neil is well known for his work on collected junipers. His garden reflects this – among the many outstanding specimens at Bonsai Mirai, it’s the junipers that shine brightest. Part of this is due...
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Visit to Telperion Farms
Plants love Oregon – 100 wholesale nurseries can’t be wrong. Many of these nurseries focus on conifers – and at least one grows bonsai exclusively: Telperion Farms. Chris and Lisa Kirk started...
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Displaying a Korean hornbeam
I’m working, this week, on my submission for the Artisans Cup coming to Portland, Oregon, in September. Haven’t submitted a tree yet? No problem, there are still 3 days left. The requirements are...
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Looking out for swelling on recently wired branches
Spring is a time of year when bonsai grow fast. That’s cause for both celebration and caution. For trees that have been wired, spring is when the wires are most likely to cut in. A casual glance at...
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