Deadwood Lives Beyond HBO: Jin & Shari

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 … Continue reading Deadwood Lives Beyond HBO: Jin & Shari

Energy Balancing #3: Sacrifice Branches

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 … Continue reading Energy Balancing #3: Sacrifice Branches

Green Workshop: Feed Your Bonsai – part 2 – NPK

This 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.

Green Workshop: Feed Your Bonsai! – Pellets

Your bonsai may never look like this, but they can be this healthy. This magnificently robust Willow leaf ficus (Ficus nerifolia) is by Jim Smith of Dura-Stone in Vero Beach Florida. The photo is from Bonsai Today, issue 61 and was taken by Jim. Your bonsai depend on you Bonsai do not survive on water, light, and love alone. Because most bonsai soil has very low nutritive value (if any), your bonsai depends on you for feeding.

Winner: Nature’s Bonsai – Photo by John Palmer

This photo was taken by John Palmer, who is the founder (now retired) of Stone Lantern and Bonsai Today magazine. John and his wife Pat live in New Mexico and spend big hunks of their bountiful time wandering and photographing the glorious Southwest. Our apologies to John for not attributing his photo when we first posted it. To do so might have made the contest moot. So, without further ado; the winner is (drum roll): Glenn Strong, who wrote: I’ll give it a try. I think it is in Canyonlands National Park, near Mesa Arch, looking SE. Not a bad … Continue reading Winner: Nature’s Bonsai – Photo by John Palmer

Green Workshop: The Art & Science of Watering

This drawing is from our Masters’ Series book; Junipers, Growing & Styling Juniper Bonsai. What is Green Workshop? Green Workshop is a series for beginners and others who are interested in some of the basics of bonsai care and training. Green Workshop originated in Bonsai Today magazine and will be continued with regular postings on this blog. The more you know about watering, the better. Without timely, intelligent watering, any plant in a container is at risk. The more you know about watering, the better.

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.

Ben Oki: An Old Master at Play

I could watch and listen to Ben Oki for a long time. In this one, you get to watch the old master wiring, and, as a bonus, hear a story about John Naka; another old master. FYI: John Naka was considered the dean of American bonsai. He died in 2004. Bonsai Today issue 93 features a special on Mr. Naka and you can enjoy his sketches in The John Naka Sketch Book (The National Bonsai Foundation). Two other noteworthy Naka books are: Bonsai Techniques one and two (Bonsai Institute of California).

Planing for Success: Nebari – part six

One of the secrets to achieving fused surface roots like on this Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) is planing (not to be confused with planning, which also helps).

Spanish Chainsaw Massacre

If you haven’t seen the Magician wielding a chainsaw, check this out. It’s from a 2007 bonsai convention at Mistral Bonsai in the Spanish province of Tarragona (I was there, but that’s another story). Kimura’s assistant is Salvatore Liporace, a well know Italian bonsai artist and author of several Bonsai Today articles. When Masahiko Kimura introduced his custom made chainsaw into the bonsai world, it created a buzz that was heard first in the Japanese bonsai community and then throughout the world (well, world bonsai community).