Nothing Compares to Shin-Boku

Shin-Boku Nursery from the air. You can’t tell, but almost every one of the plants in this photo are specimen quality Japanese garden trees. Some are ten or fifteen feet tall, others are potential bonsai. All are old and range from excellent to amazing. Doug doesn’t mince his words Here’s what Doug Roth, the publisher and editor of the Journal of Japanese Gardening has to say: “Shin-Boku Nursery is the finest Japanese garden tree nursery in North America.” Ditto! Yesterday I visited Baker Valley Nursery (see below) for the forth or fifth time. Both Shin-Boku and Baker Valley are owned … Continue reading Nothing Compares to Shin-Boku

Shin-Boku’s Very Big Bonsai

This Weeping eastern white pine (Pinus Strobus ‘Pendula’) is from Shin-Boku Nursery in Wentworth NH. It’s pretty impressive as is, but if you wanted to turn it into a very large bonsai, you might want to cut off (or air-layer) everything above the large first branch on the left (the branch that’s about even with her left hand). Shin-Boku Nursery We mentioned Shin-Boku a few posts back when we were discussing some Cole’s prostrate hemlocks. It’s worth mentioning again if you like landscape trees that look like bonsai, as well as some great potential bonsai. Here’s a couple more trees … Continue reading Shin-Boku’s Very Big Bonsai

Field Growing #8: Old Cole’s Hemlocks

A Cole’s prostrate hemlock (Tsuga canadensis ‘Cole’s Prostrate’) that went from nursery container to my back yard and then into this growing pot (it’s now back in the ground, no photo yet). I cut off about 75% of the original. Some of the deadwood is new, but the more faded deadwood on the trunk was already there. Photo by Amy Palmer. Old Cole’s prostrate hemlocks A couple years ago I stumbled across eight amazing old Cole’s prostrate hemlocks in nursery pots at Palmer Koelb’s Baker Valley Nursery in New Hampshire (Palmer also owns Shin Boku Nursery). Palmer loves Okatsune tools, … Continue reading Field Growing #8: Old Cole’s Hemlocks