Bonsai Conspiracies

This strange and wonderful monster resides at Ryan Neil’s International Bonsai Mirai, but the photo is from Aarin Packard’s Capital Bonsai blog. Most of Aarin’s posts are from the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum, but this one is from a recent visit to Bonsai Mirai. Conspiracies? I probably should have titled this ‘what happens when bonsai artists visit each other’ but my guess is Bonsai Conspiracies got your attention. No matter, it was inspired by four notable bonsai artist/bloggers getting together (in two sets of two). Artisans Cup postponed until 2015. There’s another theme at play here; two of artists … Continue reading Bonsai Conspiracies

Forever Young? How Not to Fertilize

You can bet that this Japanese black pine (Pinus thunbergii) was fertilized with a master’s touch. Speaking of masters, this photo is from our Masters’ Series Pine Book. An American bonsai pro on fertilizing. Whenever Michael Hagedorn writes, I read, and though I am a little reluctant to tell others what to do, you might want to consider it too. Here’s a part of Michael’s latest post on his famous Crataegus Bonsai blog: “For fertilizing bonsai, we can make this one basic distinction: Begin fertilizing a young, unrefined tree when it begins growing early in the spring Wait a bit … Continue reading Forever Young? How Not to Fertilize

Artisans Cup Postponed

This Rocky Mountain juniper (Juniperus scopulorum) belongs to Ryan Neil. The photo is from Ryan’s International Bonsai Mirai website. A guest’s guest post. The following is from Michael Hagedorns Crataegus Bonsai blog. Artisans Cup postponed until September 2015 This is a guest post by Ryan Neil. I am in full support of his words here: Over the past fourteen months of research and planning the potential of the Artisans Cup has been a driving force in our bonsai community to grow and improve the level of our trees. The enthusiastic response of the entire Western bonsai world fueled our ambition and … Continue reading Artisans Cup Postponed

It’s Free!

Maybe someone can help identify the owner of this most excellent swirling cascade juniper. It’s from the Noelander’s Trophy, 2013. You can see more photos from the show on Crataegus bonsai (and various other places). Speaking of the Noelanders’ Trophy, Marc Noelanders will be one of the featured artists at Brussel’s Rendezvous (see below). Why isn’t your event featured here? In March Bonsai Bark was visited 56,000 times (19,000 of those were unique). This being the case, Bark is probably a pretty good place to advertise your upcoming bonsai event. Especially considering it’s free. The best way to do this … Continue reading It’s Free!

Some Silly Blog’s Tips for Repotting

A Camellia from a transplanting article in Bonsai Today issue 96. Some silly blog? Okay, it’s not really a silly blog. In fact Michael Hagedorns’ Crataegus Bonsai is one of the best blogs around. It’s just that Michael referred to it as a silly blog and it struck me as a catchy title for this post (after four years of posting 3-4 times a week, desperation sets in). Anyway, Michael’s Crataegus’ post on repotting is definitely worth a look. To peak your interest, here are two of Michael’s seven repotting tips: “2. As a general rule, don’t bare-root your trees. … Continue reading Some Silly Blog’s Tips for Repotting

Tea Flowers

Ume (Prunus mume) flowers. Once again we find ourselves borrowing from Peter Tea. This photo and the next three photos shown here are from a post that Peter just put up that provides a sweet moment’s glimpse into a small private bonsai show. Something you just don’t see everyday. “The last memory I have Is of a flower that cannot be touched…” Excerpt from Flower Herding on Mount Monadnock, From A New Selected Poems by Galway Kinnell (Mariner Books). ‘Boke’ flowering quince (Chaenomeles speciosa). This photo (also by Peter Tea) provides a peek at a piece of one of … Continue reading Tea Flowers

Bonsai Events, Dirty Pick Ups and a Few Loose Ends

This pine (looks like a Japanese white; Pinus parviflora) is from the 2011 Taikan-ten bonsai exhibition in Japan. The photo was borrowed from Empire Bonsai. You don’t see that many great multiple-trunk bonsai (here’s another one we posted recently) and I think this one qualifies. It’s hard to tell from this angle if all the trunks are sharing a single root-system. It could be a twin-trunk tree and a triple-trunk clump combined. Upcoming events. It’s time to catch up on some upcoming bonsai events and some other loose ends. Which reminds me, if you’d like to promote an event, just … Continue reading Bonsai Events, Dirty Pick Ups and a Few Loose Ends

Bring Your Passport to the Cup

Image from the Artisans Cup website. They also have an excellent blog with great articles like ‘Bonsai as an Education: the Pursuit of Sustainable Life.’ While we’re in Portland (actually I’m home in cold blasted Vermont, but the memories are fresh) it seems like the right time to talk about the Artisans Cup. I think it will prove to be a break-through (earth shattering?) bonsai event and you just might kick yourself if you don’t go. If you need encouragement, there are plenty of very good reasons to put the soon-to-be-very-famous Artisans Cup at the top of your list; not … Continue reading Bring Your Passport to the Cup

It’s No Secret

Michael Hagedorn worked on this spectacular Ezo spruce while I labored trying to follow his wiring instructions. He used copper wire because it’s a conifer (he uses aluminum wire on deciduous trees) and he frequently stopped to mist the foliage as he went, explaining that spruces are prone to dropping needles when disturbed and that spraying helps prevent this. I don’t think it’s a secret that Michael Hagedorn is an elite bonsai artists. I know this in part because I spend a lot of time looking at bonsai from around the world. Also, when I talk to other world-class bonsai … Continue reading It’s No Secret

Lost & Found

Shadow dance. Here’s one that we didn’t show on our now vanished post (see below). The tree was on display at the Noelanders Trophy Exhibition and the image is courtesy Crataegus Bonsai, as are all the images in this post. I don’t know who the artist is. One more time. A week or so ago I accidentally deleted a post on the Noelander Trophy Exhibit. I had borrowed the images from Crataegus Bonsai, so I thought I’d go through and post some again, including one that was posted before. Speaking of Crataegus Bonsai, I just finished studying wiring with Mr. … Continue reading Lost & Found