Backyard Bonsai #12
This is the 12th post in our long and venerable (all the way back to 2009) Backyard Bonsai tradition (here’s the 11th). In their own way, each backyard is uniquely compelling; a reflection of human tastes and lifestyles, and also a reflection of culture. In this case the culture is Italian, which makes it a little romantic for us Americans; we just don’t see backyards and surrounding buildings that look quite like the ones in these photos. Now if the Euro would only come down a bit…
Italian Bonsai Dream
All but one of the photos in this post were lifted from an online video by Mauro Stemberger. The video is titled Italian Bonsai Dream, which is the name of Mauro’s website. The last shot comes from a page on Mauro’s aforementioned website titled My Garden, which I discovered after I went to the trouble to capture the photos from the video (oh well…).
Thanks for posting — these are great!
And kudos to our European friends for finding ways to make the best use of the space available to them. It *can* be done!
Thanks Steve,
Yes. Pretty creative use of space eh?
Ahh to be young & fit, I have a tear in my left shoulder that reguires surgery, from lifting trees to work on.
I think that he would require the italian Army for assistance?
Thanks for including that in the news letter Wayne, I’ll forward it onto some of my Bonsai Buddies in NSW / Australia.
John C
Adequate watering must be a chore! These are fantastic trees. Mr. Stemberger must have a wonderful career outside of bonsai to be able to afford them!
<>
Actually, although Mario isn’t exactly hard up, most of his trees are collected. Some he collected himself and others he obtained by trading his yamadori with colleagues. You see back yards like this all over Europe, even in inner cities where space is almost as limited as it is in Japan.
It’s not so much that in Europe bonsai folks make good use of space (which they do) but that here people don’t! But it’s not their fault: Here, people have about a quarter of the free time than most Europeans, they have less free money and often face far more restrictions on what they can do in their own back yards. When it comes to trees, there are vast areas of ‘common’ land in most European countries where collecting yamadori is – well – let’s say less illegal than here, and many areas where they’re free to dig at will, perfectly legally. Such a concept of common land seems to be rare in the USA.
WOW! what a beautiful area to enjoy and care for some beautiful trees.My american yard is bigger and my trees are not as great but I’m working on them. There in is my pleasure and the reality I have to deal with. I have a lot of trees that are in the developemental stages, but I still enjoy the tasks I have as I travel this route of Bonsai. I have made a beautiful area to display and work, for this I am fullfilled and amused by my trees. Thanks
Hi John,
I hope your shoulder heals. Getting the Italian army to give you a hand might be somewhat challenging, even if you weren’t in Australia. Have you thought about Shohin bonsai?
Hi Ryan,
Yeah, watering might requiring some gymnastics type moves. And for sure, money never hurts when putting together a bonsai collection.
HI Colin,
Less illegal eh?
Out west there is more common land, known as National and State Parks, though I don’t recommend collecting, unless you want to pay hefty fines. Another collecting issue for those of us in the Northeast is the lack of availability of good material (larches are one exception).
I don’t know of any real restrictions on what I can do in my back yard here in rural Vermont, short of building a bonfire without a permit during the fire season. I suppose there’s also the issue of whether or not we can use lime sulfur.
Hi John,
Agreed, it’s a beautiful area with some beautiful trees.
Send me some photos!