Grafting Lesson: Japanese Black Pine

In this simple and clear video, Brent Walston of Evergreen Gardenworks provides an excellent lesson in grafting scions onto root stock. In this case the scion is a Japanese black pine varietal called Hayabusa (Pinus thunbergii ‘Hayabusa’), which is a dwarf cork barked cultivar (nishiki kuro matsu) with very dense foliage. The root stock is your basic Japanese black pine (Pinus thunbergii). Brent uses Japanese black pine as stock for a number of black and white pine cultivars. If you want to try your hand at grafting, you’ll need a sharp grafting knife and some grafting tape.

It’s Satsuki Time at the Bonsai & Penjing Museum

This Satsuki azalea (Rhododendron indicum “Shi-o”) resides at the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum. It was donated by Mr. Tomio Kato. The photo appears in Timeless Trees by Peter & Mary Bloomer. It’s time for the annual Art Blooms: Satsuki Azalea Bonsai exhibit at the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum. May 23 – June 17. Be there and enjoy a feast of delightful color and form.

Backyard Bonsai Displays #2: Reiner Goebel

A while back we featured Reiner Goebel’s bonsai in one of our Bonsai from Nursery Stock posts. Now he’s made the cut for our Backyard Bonsai Displays. Though no one’s backyard (so far at least) is as impressive as Wolfgang Putz‘, still, for those of us with more modest aspirations, Reiner deserve a look.

Dealing with Stress: Fertilizing & Watering

Almost forgot to mention what Mr. Onishi said about fertilizing his stressed pine (see previous two posts). “After a year of rest in which I didn’t pinch or prune, but during which I gradually gave it higher doses of fertilizer…” That’s it. Not too much to go on, so I’ll try to flesh it out. Most bonsai books and teachers say to avoid fertilizing stressed trees until they show signs of recovery. This is pretty good advice, but still leaves a lot to the imagination. Mostly, I use mild, slow release organic pellets. With ordinary stress (like from rootpruning), I … Continue reading Dealing with Stress: Fertilizing & Watering

Dealing with Stress: A Minor Miracle – part 2

Sixteen years ago, this tree… …looked like this! If you want to know how this seemingly miraculous recovery happened, keep reading (you might want to take a look at yesterday’s post first if you haven’t already).

Dealing with Stress: A Minor Miracle – part 1

Uh oh. Looks like a goner. This photo is from an article in Bonsai Today issue 9 (long out of print). The artist and author is K. Onishi. The tree is a Japanese Black pine (Pinus thunbergii). The cause of the stress is a late freeze, though dessication (drying out) might produce the same effect.

Contest #2: Nature’s Bonsai – part 2

The Japanese have long known that the best bonsai come from the wild (that’s why that are hardly any left in Japan). Time and the elements combined with Mother Nature’s completely unselfconscious (you could say natural) way of doing things is hard to beat. Keep reading to see how you can win a $25.00 gift certificate and for a little hint.

In Search of the Perfect Nebari – part 6

Two for One: Splitting Roots This is a great technique for reducing big clunky roots and spreading surface roots to create balance. All you need is a sharp chisel, your fingers and a stone to hold the roots apart until they set. The photos are from our Masters’ Series Pine book.

Classic Penjing/Bonsai Book Back in Print

The Chinese Art of Bonsai & Potted Landscapes Y. C. Shen, Beulah Kwok Sung, C. B. Sung Now, this rare and wonderful book is back in print. John Naka was a big fan and said that “this unique book should be on the reading list of all bonsai connoisseurs.” Dr. Wu Yee Sun, famous philanthropist and avid bonsai and penjing supporter said that it “is a masterpiece of great importance in the art of bonsai and will… without a doubt… be valued for generations to come.”

David De Groot: Bonsai Artist, Author & Teacher

This shot presents a glimpse of a small piece of the Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection. David De Groot is the resident bonsai artist (curator) of this impressive collection. A while back I put up a couple posts (here and here) on the Weyerhaeser Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection. At the time I spoke with David De Groot, the collection’s curator. David told me that the bright spot to the (temporary) closing of the collection, is that he will have more uninterrupted time working on the trees. This has got to be good for the collection as David is an accomplished bonsai … Continue reading David De Groot: Bonsai Artist, Author & Teacher