bonsai4me.com on Field Growing

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This Goldflame Japanese Spirea (Spiraea japonica ‘Goldflame’) was originally dug from a  garden in the UK. It was styled by Harry Harrington. You can view it and numerous other noteworthy bonsai at bonsai4me.com.

One reason we’ve been featuring field growing so much is that the US government restrictions make importing quality stock from Asia somewhere between difficult and impossible (Europe is a whole other story – it’s easy for them to import Asian stock – which helps explain some of the differences between European and North American bonsai). This means that if we are going to develop quality bonsai stock in this country, we need to learn how to grow our own.

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Feed Your Bonsai!

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Green Dream is an excellent, well-balanced (6-6-6) slow release pellet fertilizer.

Most people underfeed their bonsai. This may be because they want them to stay small, so they don’t feed much, if at all. What you end up with if you don’t feed enough, may or may not be small, but it WILL be unhealthy.

Small is achieved primarily by pruning – both top and roots. True, you may not want to pump your bonsai up with artificially high concentrations of NPK  and other nutrients, but you do want you bonsai to be at the peak of health, and regular application of balanced fertilizers are one of the keys to good health.

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Two Junipers for the Price of One?

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In the expert hands of Michael Hagedorn, this collected Rocky Mountain Juniper (Juniperus scopulorum) in transformed into two noteworthy bonsai.

A remarkable transformation of a Rocky Mountain Juniper …actually, two Rocky Mountain Junipers.

When I first posted this (just a couple minutes ago) I was convinced that Michael made two bonsai from the collected tree in the box above. It turns out that there were two distinct trunks and root systems, but Michael says that one of them is unused. Still, it looks to me like he ends up with two different trees. Take a look (you have click on the link to his site at the end of the next page for the whole essay) and see what you think. What looks like one collected Juniper, turns out to have two distinct trunks, each with its own root system.

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Field Growing 4: Native Soil

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This Satsuki azalea (Rhododendron indicum) was originally field grown (it’s from  Bonsai Today issue 40). Field growing is common for azaleas; some start as landscape plants and are later dug up for bonsai, while others are grown as bonsai stock from the beginning.

In our last field growing post we mention planting directly into native soil without digging in amendments when you plant. A friend of my points out that she has no native soil; her house and yard were built on fill. In our usage of native soil, we mean whatever soil is already there; in other words, my friend’s fill would be her native soil.

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Amazing Transformations

b1aesthet-jekNorway spruce (Picea abies) by Francois Jeker. From his book Bonsai Aesthetics.

You can learn a lot by studying photos of what other people have done. Especially if artist is very accomplished and you have before and after shots. Fortunately, one of our favorite European artists, Francois Jeker features just that on his website. Check it out, you won’t be disappointed.

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Bill Valavanis’ House Fire

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Bill Valavanis, one of North America’s preeminent bonsai artists, teachers and publishers, lost his house to a fire this January. In addition to the hardship and loss suffered by Bill and his family, valuable antique bonsai books and other irreplaceable materials were lost. Fortunately, Bill’s nursery, which is next to his house, was undamaged. From conversations I’ve had with Bill, I’d say that his always energetic and passionate enthusiasm was also undamaged.

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Gallery of Your Bonsai

106-5This unique bonsai is a Pemphis acidula by Budi Sulistyo (Budi is the author of Tropical Bonsai Gallery). The tree received second place (professional category) in our first and only Bonsai Today awards contest. It appears in Bonsai Today issue 106.

Oh, Mexico!
I just got back from Patzcuaro Mexico. Day temperatures of 70 to 80F (21 to 27C) and deep blue skies backdropping emerald leaves and needles, wildly bright bougainvillea flowers (actually bracts) and all the rest of natures uninhibited display. Now I’m back to our relentless cold gray skies and fields of snow. You gotta wonder.

While we northern snow lions wait for warmer days, I thought maybe we could pass time featuring some of your trees. It’ll be good for you to see them through the eyes of others, and good for others to see what you are up to. Good for me too; blogging can be a job at times, and any help is appreciated.

So, send us some photos. Really, don’t be shy.

Meanwhile, I’ve posted a few bonsai for your enjoyment. If you use a little imagination, you can get a feel for what one of your trees might look like here.

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Drawing Bonsai

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Most of this post originally appeared in our email newsletter, back in the pre-Bonsai Bark days.

Have you thought about drawing what a pre-bonsai or bonsai might look like after it’s styled or restyled? It’s not all the difficult (even if you think you can’t draw) and surprisingly rewarding.

First, take a long look at the material at hand and then imagine what it could look like after you style it. Then sketch from what you have in front of you and from what your imagination has to offer. If your imagination doesn’t have much to offer, you can practice just sketching (in pencil with eraser in hand) the tree as it is and then make small changes. If you do this enough, your imagination will catch up and you will begin to see all kinds of possibilities.

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