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.
U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition Critique
Earlier this month, Andrew Robson and I got a chance to walk through the 7th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition , held on September 11th and 12th in Rochester, New York, and record a critique of ten trees that caught our…
US National Bonsai Exhibition Update
Thank you for checking my blog. I finally figured out how to list the Virtual 3D video. Check it out, I think you will enjoy the work Jason Henderberg created.
2021 7th US National Bonsai Exhibition
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Selecting stands for a medium display
Before heading east to the U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition, I put together a display for a Yaupon holly. I didn’t have a good second tree for the display so I borrowed a small shimpaku from Eric Schrader. Eric and I…
Bonsai Odds & Ends – Dogwood, American Elm
Redwood redesign: step 1
Coast redwoods are a fantastic species for training as bonsai, and one that I plan to write about more going forward. One fun thing about redwoods is that there are a number of different approaches to training them.…
Pacific Bonsai Expo website launches
Eric Schrader and I are happy to announce that we’ve launched a website for next year’s Pacific Bonsai Expo! We’ve outlined event basics like how and when to submit trees, how the judging process works, and who our…
US National Bonsai Exhibition- Sold Out!
Thank you for your interest in the 2021 7 th US National Bonsai Exhibition. Unfortunately, due to facility limitations and covid protocals, all weekend passes and daily tickets are sold out. We would like to accommodate…
Tips for late summer
When everything goes well, there isn’t a lot of bonsai work this time of year. Deciduous trees are recovering from their last pruning of the season, decandled pines are filling in, and tropical bonsai are getting their…
Developing a grafted juniper
I’ve been waiting three years to start shaping one of the junipers in my garden. Since I decided to graft it in winter, 2018, I’ve been allowing it to grow freely until there was enough new foliage to support the tree…
Making Bonsai Lemonade – Roughleaf Dogwood
Committing to an approach graft – separating the roots
I recently acquired a California juniper with two approach grafts. The grafts were struck to change the foliage from California juniper to shimpaku juniper. At first glance, it looked like the grafts had both taken. The…
Initial cutback on a coast live oak – and Tree Sale!
One of my favorite oaks in the garden has been growing freely for the past few years. Now that it’s showing signs of vigor, it’s time for pruning! New shoots on a coast live oak It turns out that many of the interior…
Save Your Pennies… & Dollars Too!
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A visit to John Thompson’s garden
If you’re a fan of oak bonsai, you’ve likely heard of John “JT” Thompson. For those who don’t know JT, he’s one of the most generous bonsai teachers in the San Francisco Bay Area. I’d seen JT’s trees in exhibits for…
Searching for the front of a broom-style zelkova
Earlier this year, I picked up a zelkova in need of repotting. I cleared out the old soil and let the tree grow freely. Now that it’s showing signs of great health, I thought I’d start working on the branches. Before…
Sweetgum Fast-Track Styling
Bald Cypress With Knee Gets Initial Styling
Live Oak Update
Decandling season wrap-up
Towards the end of decandling season (mid-July where I live), I make a point of checking every pine in the garden to see if it’s a candidate for decandling. Most of my pines are young and don’t require this work, but…
2021 7th US National Bonsai Exhibition Update
DCIM\100MEDIA\DJI_0014.JPG “The Show Is On” These past couple of years have been difficult for everyone, many had to adjust and make changes to continue. Fortunately people had an extra year to prepare their bonsai, and…
New Flat-Top Bald Cypress
Rehabilitating a coast live oak – part 2
It took a while to get to this point, but my semi-cascade coast live oak put on enough new growth to warrant pruning this year. Here’s a photo of the tree from 2019 (see “ Rehabilitating a coast live oak – part 1 ” for…