Spotted in the Wild
Historical Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and RSS posts previously curated by the club (2017–present). Not authored by the club — preserved here since the original source feeds no longer carry this history.
Highlights from the 8th US National Bonsai Exhibition – part 3: Shohin edition
Our third installment of the US National Bonsai Exhibition wrap-up focuses on shohin. This year’s exhibit featured 120 of them! If you’re interested in learning about shohin and shohin display, check out the note…
Autumn 2023 Beauty at the International Bonsai Arboretum- Part 2
In Part 1 of the Autumn 2023 Beauty blog I shared photos of my garden and bonsai as of October 25 th . Part 2 has now been completed. I was waiting for two dozen bonsai which have not yet completed their autumn…
Join Us For a Small Tour To Visit The the Best Of The Japanese Bonsai World
Join Kora Dalager and me to visit the Bonsai World of Japan, featuring the Kokufu Bonsai Exhibition, Nippon Suiseki Exhibition, as well as the finest bonsai gardens in Omiya and Tokyo. Additionally, we will be taking…
Review: Bonsai Empire’s New Kimura Course
Once again the crew of Bonsai Empire returned to Mr. Kimura’s studio to interview and film, turning out Kimura Techniques Masterclass . This course is an intimate and up-close view of Mr. Kimura working on two trees.…
A visit to Bill Valavanis’ bonsai garden
The day after this year’s US National Bonsai Exhibition, Bill Valavanis hosted a workshop at his garden, The International Bonsai Arboretum, while volunteers unloaded trucks and visitors (like me) enjoyed the trees!…
Styling A Snaky Mountain Hemlock: Part II
We left off with this Hemlock mid-stride, asking the question, what would you do? This was the front and inclination Carmen and I chose. Where would you put the branches and the crown? Would you remove any branches?…
Making a plan for a new bonsai
Two years ago, I saw a large Yaupon holly available in the vendor’s area at the US National Bonsai Exhibition. I’m a big fan of the species but for some reason I didn’t think about taking it home at the time. Two months…
Double live next Thursday
Due to an unexpected fallout of tonight’s livestream letting me teach for a full hour out in open space, without anybody watching, I will make a two-hour or more masterclass next Thursday. I am sorry to have wasted your…
Carina Jern bonsai pots unboxed
There are many talented bonsai ceramists in Europe, and one of them is doing her magic up north in Sweden. I received a box of new pots I carefully chose from the website this week. It is always exciting to see them in…
Autumn 2023 Beauty at the International Bonsai Arboretum- Part 1
The annual colorful beauty of my deciduous bonsai came on schedule during the fourth week of October. The brilliant color peaked on October 25th and lasted for a couple of days. However, the show is not over yet. I…
Bonsai Society of Upstate New York– 50th Anniversary Special MeetingBonsai Society of Upstate New York–
The Bonsai Society of Upstate New York celebrated their 50 th anniversary by presenting a unique program to the members on Tuesday, October 24, 2023. The meeting was held in Buckland Lodge in Rochester, New York, where…
Preparing for exhibits 12 months out
Roughly a year from now, we’ll be opening the doors for a second Pacific Bonsai Expo. For those who plan to submitting trees to the event, there are a few things to start thinking about now. (We’re working hard, btw, on…
Styling A Snaky Mountain Hemlock: Part I
Carmen Leskoviansky, my apprentice, took on the styling of this Hemlock. Side 1 Side 2 Side 3 Side 4. Which front would you choose? Carmen (and I) chose this one. A few boards on the right side and back corner lend a…
Reworking An Old Juniper
Old bonsai get shaggy. The crowns round and loose clarity, the silhouette gets bloated and too big. They resemble a haircut 6 months overdue. Older bonsai require a periodic rework to a profile that balances better with…
Live bonsai Q&A Thursday
Autumn colours are waiting for us. Due to the unusually warm autumnal conditions, only a few trees are expected to show colourful leaves this season. A topic up at the Live Q&A and winter storage tips. Be sure to add…
Preparing an olive for restyling
Three years ago I acquired a large olive that had come from the Blue Oak Nursery collection. Olive, July 2020 Although the tree was in need of styling, I wanted to gauge the health of the tree before proceeding. After…
Have fun and create Mame bonsai from herbs.
In future, all updates will be from the blog about live events and stories from Kisetsu-en. The price of sending newsletters with e-mails suddenly was pushed to insane amounts, so as a small business we have to find…
Burning Bush with Thread Grafts
A client brought this tree into the studio. It was one of several Burning Bushes collected near a pond where the nutria that lived there nibbled on the bark and created deadwood. Burning Bush, Euonymus alatus, before…
Highlights from the 8th US National Bonsai Exhibition – part 2
One trend stood out clearly at this year’s US National Bonsai Exhibition: the prevalence of North American natives. Despite their growing popularity over the past ten to fifteen years, natives have made up a relatively…
Highlights from the 8th US National Bonsai Exhibition – part 1
Last month, William N. Valavanis hosted the 8th US National Bonsai Exhibition in East Rochester, New York. At the start of the event, Bill reviewed all of the exhibits and seminars he’s hosted over the years and…
Climbing Hydrangea As Bonsai
Vines make unusual bonsai. You might not want 20 Hydrangea, but 1 is a conversation piece. With a few exceptions like Bougainvillea, vines tend to have thin trunks and leggy branching. And yet they are easy to grow in a…
Young Juniper Stock: Pt. I, Pre-Styling
What’s pre-styling? That was my sketch for a word I didn’t have. But maybe it’s what you do to a plant before you fully style it. And that’s what Carmen did last week, a partial styling. We grew a bunch of Itoigawa from…
2023 8th US National Bonsai Exhibition
THE exhibition has come and gone, and it’s taken me personally one week to recover. Well over 1,000 paying visitors from Australia, Italy, England, Mexico, Colombia traveled to Rochester, New York to see and study over…
Experience Japanese Culture, Gardens & Bonsai In A Small Group
Have you ever considered to visit the Japan bonsai community and to experience Japanese culture? Here is your opportunity to experience the Taikan Bonsai Exhibition, visit private bonsai collections, and Kyoto gardens.…