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Some notes on shopping for azalea bonsai
On my recent visit to Japan, I visited several satsuki azalea nurseries with a group led by David Kreutz of Satsuki Bonsai-en in St. Louis. Dave’s been going to Japan for years and is a great guide for...
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Rakujyuen satsuki bonsai garden
Kanuma City is satsuki central in Japan. It’s where the eponymous azalea soil comes from, and it’s home to numerous satsuki nurseries including Rakujyuen. Rakujyuen satsuki bonsai garden Rakujyuen is a...
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Azaleas in development at Kobayashi Sangyou satsuki bonsai garden
Over the years, I’ve seen a number of spectacular azaleas at exhibits like Taikan-ten and Kokufu-ten – trees with super trunks, interesting movement and full canopies. I’ve appreciated them for years...
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Satsuki bonsai at Kobayashi Sangyou
Last week’s tour of satsuki bonsai in development at Kanuma’s Kobayashi Sangyou nursery didn’t hint at the general quality of trees there or at the scope of the operation. Most of the six or so...
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Masaru Hazaka Collection at World Bonsai Convention
A few days before the 8th World Bonsai Convention opened, our group had the opportunity to visit a private bonsai garden. The garden, set in a secluded valley near Nikko, in the Tochigi prefecture,...
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Bonsai from the Funayama Collection at the World Bonsai Convention
One thing that made the recent World Bonsai Convention so special was the inclusion of collections that aren’t often displayed. One of these collections belongs to Akiei Funayama, a Fukushima-based...
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Bonsai from the Keiunan Collection at the World Bonsai Convention
It’s hard to overstate the quality of the trees on display at the 8th World Bonsai Convention, and some of the best belonged to the Keiunan Collection. White pine – 250 years The trees are under the...
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Satsuki azalea bonsai at the World Bonsai Convention
The best thing about spring shows is the opportunity for color. Gyokurei Saien This was the first spring show I’d attended in Japan. I was struck by how nice it was to see bright indications of the...
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Selections from Japan’s top 100 suiseki at the World Bonsai Convention
The 8th World Bonsai convention featured not only some of Japan’s best bonsai, but also some of its best suiseki. Kamogawa yase ishi The 100 stones on display were assembled by the Nippon Suiseki...
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Historic bonsai on display at the 2017 WBC
Upon entering the 8th World Bonsai Convention in Saitama, visitors are greeted by a large juniper called Hiryu, or, Flying Dragon. Hiryu, Flying Dragon I’d seen photos of the tree ahead of the event...
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Small trees at their best – shohin bonsai on display at the 2017 WBC
The shohin bonsai got a lot of attention at the 8th World Bonsai Convention. One of the most impressive was a shimpaku juniper with beautiful deadwood. Shohin shimpaku bonsai The shohin on display...
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Planting medium for shimpaku cuttings
A few months ago I started a number of shimpaku cuttings. Several different soils were scattered around the workshop so I tried some of each to see if it made much of a difference. I did a similar...
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Be gentle with pines
Pines can look great after decandling and needle thinning. It’s when we have the best view of a tree’s structure which makes it a great time for making styling decisions and wiring. Japanese black pine...
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New bonsai display at the Portland Japanese Garden
On a recent trip to Portland I made it a point to visit the Portland Japanese Garden to see the new Cultural Village that opened in April. In addition to featuring stylish buildings by Japanese...
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Be patient with pines in summer
As decandling season comes to a close, you might notice summer buds forming on some of the first trees you decandled this season. Summer buds Ideally we’ll see two buds at the end of every branch....
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Thinning young cork bark pine bonsai
A few years ago I created some cork bark black pines by grafting. The trees have grown well and are now quite full. Corkbark Japanese black pine Some of the oldest needles have recently begun to yellow...
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Developing a young cork oak bonsai
Last year I did some initial cutback and wiring on a cork oak that was one year out of the ground (see “Stimulating new buds on cork oak” for details). The tree has grown well over the past year and is...
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Decandling pines in development
A number of my 13 year-old pines are making the transition from trunk development to branch refinement. During this stage, I’ll often decandle branches that will be part of the final design while...
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Selecting branches to decandle
Two of my young pines are almost – but not quite – ready to be fully decandled. The tree below, for example, looks ready, though you might notice that the upper branches are a bit far away from the...
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Developing a trident maple – before and after
Emphasis is often placed on how much we can remove from our trees. Today, I’ll flip that around to emphasize the importance of generating new foliage. Here’s a trident maple after reducing the trunk....
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