You know there has to be a living vein somewhere, but it must be hidden behind all that impressive deadwood. The crown belongs to a Shimpaku juniper that was grafted onto a collected Rocky Mountain juniper. The tree belongs to Michael Hagedorn, as do all the trees (and boots) shown here.
In two hours I’m leaving for SF and then Portland for the Artisans Cup. No time for a new post, but what could be more timely than another (last) reminder that’s it’s not too late for you to get in gear and go (well, maybe it is too late for some of you…).
This post originally appeared back in June. There was one glaring error in the original that needs correcting: Michael Hagedorn is not a prime mover in the Cup, though he is the Bonsai Village prime mover and the Village is sponsoring tours during the Cup.
What if you woke up on September 25th and realized that you’re not at the Artisans Cup and it’s too late to get there? Your friends are there and some of the best bonsai in North America are there, but not you. Sadly, you’ll just have to wait for the photos (now matter how good the photos are, they’ll always be a shadow of the real thing).
Fortunately, there’s time to avoid this trauma (this was back in June, but still some of you might be able to pull it off). Time to sign up and go. If you’ve seen masterpiece bonsai in real time you know what you’re in for and you’ll want to go. If you haven’t, then you need to go so you can see what all the fuss is about.
All of the photos shown here are borrowed from Crataegus Bonsai Portfolio. Two of the three show bonsai that are North American varieties (well, there’s also the non-native Shimpaku that’s grafted onto the Rocky Mountain juniper, but all that deadwood, the hidden living vein and the roots of course, are are undeniably American).
Not that the Artisans Cup won’t have varieties from elsewhere, just that you will most likely experience the most exciting and varied range of North American natives ever seen on this continent (taking nothing away from the four U.S. National Exhibitions that have happened so far).
Chojubai quince flowering in the spring. Not a North American native, but there's plenty of room for immigrants.
A 100% Native North American. It's an Engelmann Spruce that's growing on nylon slab. Like the other bonsai shown here, it belongs to Michael Hagedorn.
Michael’s boot. Here’s his caption: “And this one is not really an accent although I have it out there between the bonsai along with the other accents. I could tell some story like ‘Well, the boot never did fit.’ But actually I bought it at an estate sale.”
Here’s your consolation prize if you can’t make it to the Cup
Kilo coils of Bonsai Aesthetics Wire
marked down from 19.50
now only 15.50 each
plus an extra 10% off for orders 100.00 or more
to only 13.95 per roll