A True Gem: Bonsai, Kusamono, Suiseki

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A true gem. There is no other book in English that is anything like Bonsai, Kusamono, Suiseki, by Willi Benz.

In his forword to Bonsai, Kusamono, Suiseki, Mr. I Chi Su*  says: “My respected friend Mr. Benz has dedicated himself entirely to the art of Bonsai and Suiseki for years… With his experience, knowledge and artistic talent in both Bonsai and Suiseki, applied with the Western analytical method to explain Eastern philosophy and culture, he has created a refreshing way of design… These concepts have elevated the art of Suiseki to even a higher level”

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Green Workshop: Fertilizing #3 – A Plan We Like

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This healthy looking, well-fed Green Island Ficus (Ficus microcarpa ‘Green Island’), by Alan Kieffer, originally appeared in Bonsai Today issue 74, in an article by Mary Miller.

A fertilizing program we like
The following program is one that I like. Feel free to adjust, elaborate, or simplify according to you needs and preferences.

Start with pellets in the very late winter
Apply about one third the recommended dosage* of Green Dream or other pellet or chunky natural fertilizer in the very late winter (just before the buds begin to swell).

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Protect Your Bonsai from Two-Legged Pests

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This splendid Buttonwood (Conocarpus erectus) is from the ABS Stolen Bonsai Registry. It’s an unfortunate fact that there are confused people with bad intentions (often arising from bad addictions) that sometimes steal bonsai.

ABS (American Bonsai Society) recommends that you keep an up-to-date file, with photos, of your bonsai. Not a bad idea. It’s also not a bad idea to periodically check the ABS registry to see if you’ve come across any stolen trees. Anything we can do to help each other and make it a little more difficult for people who steal, is a good thing.

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Bonsai from Nursery Stock – part four

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After
All this sweet little juniper needs is a good cascade pot and a little time to fill out. It was styled and photographed by David Chauvin. It appeared in Bonsai Today issue 103 (out of print) in article entitled ‘Instant Bonsai’ by Will Heath and Wayne Schoech (pronounced Shay and sitting is this chair typing this at this very moment). Before it showed up in Bonsai Today, it appeared in an Instant Bonsai photo contest held by The Art of Bonsai Project.

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Deadwood Lives Beyond HBO: Jin & Shari

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This stately Foemina Juniper (Juniperus chinensis ‘Foemina’) is a pretty good example of what you can do with jin and shari. It is part of the wonderful world class bonsai collection at the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum. It was donated by James (Jim) and Helen Barrett and currently resides in the John Y Naka North American Pavilion.

What are Jin & Shari?
Jin are dead branches (intentionally created or naturally occurring) that can lend of feeling of age and character to a bonsai. Shari is deadwood (sometimes called driftwood) on the trunk of a bonsai. Like jin, shari can be intentionally created or can occur naturally (usually on collected trees).

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Energy Balancing #3: Sacrifice Branches

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Strengthening the apex
The styling on this Juniper (we’d be guessing on species, so we won’t) is almost done (at least for now). The exception is the sacrifice branch on the top. The artist, Mr Toshinori Suzuki, has decided to leave it on to strengthen the tree’s apex.When he is satisfied with the apex, he’ll sacrifice the branch (no ceremonial drums, just sharp shears are required).

Apical versus lateral dominance
With apically dominant trees, energy tends to flow into the apex; however, most junipers (including this one) are laterally dominant (energy flows into lower lateral branches), so sometimes a little help at the top is required.

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Mystery Tree Contest Winner

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Here’s the mystery tree two years later (2006). The owner/artist is Jay McDonald of Marin County (that beautiful place at the north end of the Golden Gate Bridge). We lifted this image from the Bonsai Society of San Francisco.

And the winner is…
The contest winner is Lawrence LeClaire. Lawrence teaches beginner’s bonsai classes and is the editor of BSSF’s newsletter, Fog City Bonsai, so he had a bit of an inside track on this tree, and apparently on reading my mind as well.

From formal to informal
It’s still the same tree two years later, though it’s in a new pot and has almost new front, the result of a little twist a few degrees clockwise. That and some timely pruning expose a trunk that now appears more informal upright than formal upright.

I originally thought the tree was remarkable because it looked like a formal upright Japanese maple. Virtually all formal uprights are conifers and I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen a Japanese maple in that style.

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Green Workshop: Feed Your Bonsai – part 2 – NPK

b1galp84This well fed, healthy Lace leaf Japanese maple (Acer palmatum dissectum) is from our Pocket Bonsai Gallery. It originally appeared on the cover of Bonsai Today# 84.

N-P-K (Macro nutrients)
You will see three numbers on all fertilizer packages—for example 7-9-5 or 15-30-15. These numbers represent the strength and ratios of the three major nutrients (also called macro nutrients) in fertilizers. The three nutrients are nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium or potash (K). They are critical to any plant’s health. Here’s a more complete explanation.

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