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A brief visit to Bonsai Mirai
I had the opportunity to visit Ryan Neil’s garden, Bonsai Mirai, last week. It was a perfectly beautiful day and the trees looked fantastic with fresh spring growth. Visiting gardens like Mirai gives...
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Stimulating new buds on cork oak
One of the best things about working with cork oak bonsai is that you can cut almost anywhere on the tree and expect new buds to pop. The buds don’t always appear where you want them, but there are...
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A two-year air-layer project
Two years ago, I picked up a field-grown Korean hornbeam salvaged from the fire that struck Telperion Farms in 2020. The tree had a fun trunk but there was room to improve the roots so I started an...
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Cork oak branch development
Healthy oaks can grow quickly in spring. When the spring flush hardens off, it’s a good time to prune. Cork oak – container by Sara Rayner I last worked on the tree in August. Because it’s grown so...
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Timeline for preparing bonsai for exhibit
Years ago, I remember pulling trees off the bench for their final prep ahead of a Bay Island Bonsai exhibit when I started thinking about what trees I’d show the following year. We had a rule in the...
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The middle stages of pine development – my favorite!
When you have a good trunk to work with and the goal is to improve the branches, you’re working with a tree in the middle stages of development. For pines with large trunks, this stage can last five...
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What are your club’s goals?
There are a lot of ways to run a bonsai club. One approach is to select a goal, or goals, to achieve and then measure progress against these goals. The more specific the goal, the better. It’s easy,...
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Shohin redwood update
Three years ago I started working on a small coast redwood (see “Creating redwood bonsai: step 1” for details). Since then I’ve grown out some sacrifice branches and removed them when they reached the...
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Decandling an old cork bark black pine
I’ve been working on the cork bark black pine below for about twenty years. It’s had it’s ups and downs but had filled in enough in recent years that it felt like a good time to thin the tree. The...
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Summer cutback on a large cork oak
After a number of years working with cork oak bonsai, it’s become really clear that for the lower branches to thicken, the top needs regular trimming. This photo from earlier this week makes it clear...
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Top 5 updates about the 2024 Pacific Bonsai Expo
The biggest bonsai event on the West Coast is only 10 weeks away! Here are the top 5 things you need to know about it. 1. Advance tickets are on sale now – enjoy reduced rates before prices go up...
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Developing shohin olives
In the last few years I’ve started working more with olive bonsai. Although they do best where the weather gets hot, they can grow well in mild climates too. As time goes by, I have less patience for...
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How to judge a bonsai show – highlights from the Minnesota State Fair
Last weekend I had the opportunity to judge the Minnesota Bonsai Society’s annual show held at the state fair. An amazing crowd of 225,000 people attended the fair that day, and many of them lined up...
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Shohin olive ground-layer
About a year ago I received a small olive with an unusual feature – the lower part of the trunk didn’t seem to be alive. The tree continued to grow, but slowly. An even bigger problem was that the...
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Top tips for enjoying the Pacific Bonsai Expo
We’re welcoming guests to the 2024 Pacific Bonsai Expo this weekend from 9-5 Saturday and 9-4 Sunday. Here’s what you need to know: 1. The venue is located at 10 10th street in Oakland, California....
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PBE Board Announces “Directors’ Choice Award”
In the hours just before the judging period for the 2024 Pacific Bonsai Expo, we received a request to change the category of one of the entries, a coast redwood. Due to a clerical error on our part...
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Outstanding deciduous bonsai at the PBE
The deciduous bonsai on display at this year’s expo included some fantastic trees. When considered together, they offer a great opportunity for discovering what you like best about this group of...
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Viewing bonsai in the right light
One of the benefits of viewing bonsai in natural light is that the light changes throughout the day. When the light is direct, you might catch dramatic shadows that highlight select details. When the...
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Shopping for pre-bonsai
The process of looking for pre-bonsai can differ from person to person depending on one’s interest in growing bonsai. You can select trees that give you an opportunity to work on skills you want to...
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Developing red maple bonsai
I’ve had a lot of fun working with red maples, also known as swamp maples, over the past few years. The basic training routine is the same as it is for other deciduous species – prune and reduce...
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