Michael’s Mountain Hemlock Clump After Some Serious Work & a Little Touch Up

January, 2015. Michael Hagedorn’s freshly touched up Mountain Hemlock clump. From Micheal’s Crataegus Bonsai blog. If you only had time to follow Bonsai Bark and one other blog, you wouldn’t go wrong with Michael Hagedorn’s Crataegus Bonsai. I won’t bore you by repeating the praise we’ve already showered on Michael in previous posts, but I will encourage you to visit Micheal’s blog and to serious consider reading his highly enjoyable page turner, Post-Dated, The Schooling of an Irreverent Bonsai Monk. 2010. Taking nothing away from Michael’s cheerful demeanor, or the planting, I think the best part of this photo … Continue reading Michael’s Mountain Hemlock Clump After Some Serious Work & a Little Touch Up

Practically Small

This banyan style dwarf Snow rose serissa (Serissa foetida microphylla) was styled by David Fukumoto of Fuku Bonsai in Hawaii. The pot is a Tokoname from Japan. Living in the tropics really helps when it comes to growing aerial roots. Based on thirty years experience in bonsai business, I’d guess that the majority of our readers and customers are into their middle years or beyond. To be sure, there are some younger bonsai enthusiasts, but clubbing and couch surfing don’t mix all that well with bonsai care. Nor do small children and the rigors of a budding fast track career. … Continue reading Practically Small

Fear of Water & Kokufu Too

After Michael Hagedorn’s expert touch (the before photo is below). This photo is from Michael’s latest post which is about his trip to Japan to visit his teacher and the famous Kokufu Bonsai Exhibition. I’ve taken the liberty of combining pieces from three of Michael Hagedorn’s Crataegus Bonsai posts: His two latest posts from his recent visit to Japan and an an older post about Turface and Bonsai Soil. One of the many positives about visiting Crataegus Bonsai is that I always learn something. There’s more than just learning for sure, including great trees, Michael’s personable easy-to-read writing style and … Continue reading Fear of Water & Kokufu Too

If I Had A Complaint…

After. Choosing Branches for Flow- is Michael Hagedorn’s title for his latest post which features this extraordinary Japanese white pine. If I had a complaint about Crataegus Bonsai, it would be that Michael doesn’t post often enough. But I really don’t have a complaint, because: 1. Michael has a whole bonsai nursery to run, classes and tutorials to teach, a travel schedule to keep and maybe even a life (who knows?). And 2. When he does post, it’s always something worth my time. Before. For what happens between before and after you can visit Crataegus Bonsai. While we’re at it, … Continue reading If I Had A Complaint…

Slow Down & Stop Thinking So Much

Michael Hagedorn reworked this collected Sierra juniper (grafted with shimpaku) in a half-day refinement session at the Weyerhaeuser collection in Federal Way, Washington, way back in 2009. The before photo is below. It’s Labor Day here in the U.S. A day when we celebrate working by not working (that’s not really the whole story, but it makes for a good line). Anyway, in the spirit of not working, I thought we’d dig back into the archives and regale you with yet another rerun. But it’s not just any old rerun. It’s a rerun with a message that goes well beyond … Continue reading Slow Down & Stop Thinking So Much

Summer Relief for Your Bonsai

Deciduous Award at the 2012 U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition for the Finest Deciduous Bonsai. It’s a Japanese Maple by Suthin Sukolosovisit of Royal Bonsai. It has nothing to do with the topic of this post, at least directly, but the 3rd (2012) U.S. National Bonsai Exhibiton is now on special at Stone Lantern. The following very useful piece of advice is by Michael Hagedorn from his website Crataegus Bonsai. It originally appeared here on Bark almost exactly three years ago. “Last summer I mentioned the practice of ‘hamisu’ which is the misting of bonsai during hot summer days. This light … Continue reading Summer Relief for Your Bonsai

Some Silly Blog’s Tips for Repotting

A Camellia from a transplanting article in Bonsai Today issue 96. Some silly blog? Okay, it’s not really a silly blog. In fact Michael Hagedorns’ Crataegus Bonsai is one of the best blogs around. It’s just that Michael referred to it as a silly blog and it struck me as a catchy title for this post (after four years of posting 3-4 times a week, desperation sets in). Anyway, Michael’s Crataegus’ post on repotting is definitely worth a look. To peak your interest, here are two of Michael’s seven repotting tips: “2. As a general rule, don’t bare-root your trees. … Continue reading Some Silly Blog’s Tips for Repotting

Never Finished & Not Exactly Faint Praise

This Rocky Mountain juniper (Juniperus scopulorum) with its delightful deadwood and fluid movement was collected by Tony Cardoza and styled by Michael Hagedorn. Here’s Michael’s caption: “Finished tree. Or as my friends remind me, ‘No, not finished, that’s a dead tree!’ It’s quite alive. The tree is 24″ high, 31″ wide. The left lower branch is the key branch so it will need to grow out a bit. Left flow. In fact all the branches need length, as it looks like a small tree on top of a large base. I hope I’ve set things approximately right so there will … Continue reading Never Finished & Not Exactly Faint Praise

Revisting An Irreverant Bonsai Monk

A piece of the cover of Post-Dated: The Schooling of an Irreverent Bonsai Monk by Michael Hagedorn. Over four years later and still the best bonsai read What follows is a review of Post-Dated: The Schooling of an Irreverent Bonsai Monk that I wrote for Bonsai Bark in February 2009 (we still offer Post-Dated and a whole range of other excellent bonsai books at Stone Lantern). I first read Post-Dated at 30,000 feet; Boston to SFO. By coincidence, the man sitting next to me was reading Thoreau’s Walden, a book usually confined to students and scholars. He was well past … Continue reading Revisting An Irreverant Bonsai Monk

New American Masters at the Rim

I was struck by this large Ponderosa pine at the 3rd U.S. National Exhibition. It’s even bigger than it looks here and also has more depth and movement than this two dimensional representation shows. Still, you can get some idea of its natural power. It belongs to Ryan Neil. New American Masters show at the Pacific Rim Collection Michael Hagedorn and Ryan Neil both apprenticed in Japan where the term Master isn’t thrown around casually, and my guess is that neither of them is completely comfortable with it being used in reference to themselves. However, whatever term your choose, there’s … Continue reading New American Masters at the Rim