It’s not often we feature photos of people on this blog, but, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to show you this photo of Jim Smith, one of the true gentlemen in our bonsai community, and a master of large tropical trees (this one looks like a Portulacaria). The photo was posted on facebook by Mareta Martell today with this caption: ‘big bonsai 300 years old by Jim Smith’ (we know it’s not really 300).
A remarkable place
It’s been way too many years since I visited Jim Smith’s Durastone Nursery in Vero Beach. Florida. It’s a remarkable place; just the sheer volume (shear volume too) of bonsai and bonsai stock is overwhelming. So overwhelming in fact that I still can’t quite figure out how Jim and his son Doug keep the whole place from turning into a jungle (it almost the tropics down there, you know). But they do, and the results are a delight to behold (Here’s a note from Mary Miller that I received after I posted this: Jim Smith’s son Doug passed away in 2009 from cancer. It was a sad time, he was a very special guy).
Just gentleman will do
I mostly try to keep personalities out of the picture and just focus on bonsai in this blog. But, I so enjoyed the time I spent with Jim Smith going through his nursery, and his how his kind and gentle demeanor always made the experience doubly enjoyable, that I was going to call this post ‘A Gentelman’s Gentleman,’ that is until I wisely decided to look the term up and discovered that it refers to a Gentleman’s manservant. So we’ll stick with just gentleman. I think if fits just fine.
A Narrow leaf ficus by Jim Smith. If you look closely, you’ll see a bunch of tiny bromeliads in the crotches and along the main branches . The rugged natural feel on this tree is characteristic of Jim’s bonsai. The photo is from ‘A living tribute to the bonsai styling of James J. Smith.’
This Bougainvillea was donated to the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum by Jim. The photo is by Jonas Dupuich; from a Bonsai Tonight post on tropical bonsai at the Museum.
Not a 300 yeatr old tree. Jim has only been doing bonsai since the 50’s and this one was started after that. Still a very cool tree. Now on permanent dispaly at Heathcote Gardens in Ft. Pierce, Fl
The tree is a Portulacari afra, Dwarf Jade. It started its training in 1978 when it was collected from an urban garden in Vero Beach, FL. At that time the trunk was only about 2″ wide. It is now on permanent display in the James J. Smith Bonsai Gallery at Heathcote Botanical Gardens in Ft. Pierce, FL., along with 100 and 9 more bonsai masterpieces by James Smith.
Patrick Giacobbe,
Bonsai curator for the James J. Smith Bonsai Gallery
Thanks Reggie,
Yeah. I’m sure your are right, not a 300 year old tree. I wonder where whoever wrote that, got the idea.
Thanks Reggie,
Yes. Not a 300 year old tree. That was a quote from the facebook post where I discovered the photo.
Reggie,
Almost forgot. Thanks for the info on the Heathcote Gardens.
Hi Patrick,
Thanks for the info. One of these days I’ll get down there.