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Highlights from Shinpukuji Bonsai Museum
My visit, last year, to Shinpukuji Temple’s Bonsai Museum, was my first time seeing the trees in sunlight. The greens were brighter and the trunks darker than I’d seen before. The trees’ health was...
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Oomurasan’s garden
Trees regularly rotate in and out of the Shinpukuji Bonsai Museum. When not on display, these trees – and countless project trees – reside in Mr. Oomura’s backyard. Set atop the mountain on which...
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Tamamo Park
The 2011 Asia Pacific Bonsai and Suiseki Convention and Exhibition was held in Takamatsu, Kagawa, on Shikoku. Takamatsu is a nice tourist destination. It’s on the Seto Inland Sea and is close to some...
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Chrysanthemums on display
One benefit to visiting Japan in the fall is that the chrysanthemums are in bloom. Chrysanthemums are displayed with great beauty and creativity across Japan. Several were on display in kiosks in...
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Ritsurin Garden
Among the more popular destinations in Kagawa is Ritsurin Garden. Built in the 17th and 18th centuries, the garden comprises 6 ponds and 13 small hills in the shadow of Mt Shiun. The park served as the...
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Pines from Ritsurin Garden
Apart from the overall beauty of the place, the most memorable feature of Ritsurin Garden its collection of pines. Each is old and well cared for, like Tsurukame-matsu (crane and tortoise) below. From...
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Bonsai from Takasago-An at Ritsurin Garden
As part of last year’s Asia Pacific Bonsai and Suiseki Convention and Exhibition, a number of trees from Takasago-An, the late Daizo Iwasaki’s bonsai garden, were displayed around town. Here are some...
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Nakanishi Chinshoen
Kagawa, Japan’s smallest prefecture, happens to be one of the country’s larger bonsai producers. Fifty years ago, to hear some of the local nurserymen tell it, the area was rife with bonsai growing in...
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Kinashi Bonsai District
The Kinashi Bonsai District is the source of many different bonsai varieties, but by far most trees from this region are black, red, and white pines. Each of these varieties are typically grown here in...
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Kokubunji Bonsai Center
One of the highlights along our tour of the Kinashi Bonsai District was a visit to the Kokubunji Bonsai Center – and not just because they served udon to visitors. The center functioned like a large...
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A special bonsai garden
For those of you who’ve visited the garden below, you’ll recognize it immediately – it’s an unforgettable place. For those of you who haven’t seen it, here’s a sneak peak. More photos coming soon....
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Takasago-an
For many years, Daizo Iwasaki was known as Japan’s premier bonsai collector. He maintained over 1,000 trees at his beautiful estate, Takasago-an, outside of Takamatsu in Shikoku, Japan. Just ahead of...
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Bonsai from Takasago-an
When I visited Takasago-an in 2011, many of Daizo Iwasaki’s best trees were on display elsewhere. That did not, however, mean there was a lack of amazing bonsai to see. Gauging by numbers of each...
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Shree Bonsai
If you find yourself in Andra Pradesh, I’d strongly recommend a visit to Shree Bonsai in Hyderabad. Ficus Shree Bonsai India, it turns out, has quite a bonsai community. Thanks to the efforts of...
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Creating cork bark black pine
After doing some cutback on a corkbark black pine, I saved the clippings so I could do some grafting. Corkbark pines aren’t as strong on their own roots as they are on black pine roots. As a result,...
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Wisterias like water
Last summer, I wrote about an approach to “Keeping bonsai from drying out in summer” by filling trays with gravel and setting trees on top. Knowing how much wisteria appreciate the extra water, I set a...
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Junipers at Bay Island Bonsai’s 14th annual exhibit
This past weekend, Bay Island Bonsai held its 14th annual exhibit at the Lake Merritt Garden Center in Oakland, California. For those of you who attended – thanks for coming! I hope you enjoyed the...
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Small and medium displays at BIB’s 14th annual exhibit
One of the hardest, but most fun, parts of setting up a bonsai exhibit is creating displays. Some members pre-configure their 6′ slots and know exactly which trees, pots, stands and accent will best...
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More from BIB’s 14th annual exhibit
It’s hard not to get nostalgic when I look over photos from Bay Island Bonsai exhibits. I’ve watched a number of the trees develop over many years and can see how far they’ve come. It’s fun to see...
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Companion plants
Instead of showing bonsai on their own, Bay Island Bonsai exhibits trees in 6 foot displays with companion or accent plants. The addition of companion plants to a composition helps suggest a season or...
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