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.
Tracking down banding symptoms in black pine
I was surprised to find yellow banding on a few of my pines this fall. It’s not something I’ve seen much of in my garden over the years so it caught my attention when small yellow patches appeared. Yellow banding on…
Layering To Improve Trunk Base And Rootage – Privet
BDS #19: Encouraging interior buds on young red pines
After more than twenty years of growing pine bonsai from seed, I noticed a big difference between red and black pines this year. Red pines are harder. Specifically, red pines are less likely to develop small shoots in…
Fall clean-up on shohin satsuki azalea
Fall is a good time to thin satsuki azaleas that filled in over summer. Shohin satsuki azalea – ‘Hanabin’ Doing this work lets light into the tree’s interior and makes it easy to spray for thrips, lace bugs, or any…
Bonsai Development Series #18: Timing cutback to support development goals
I’ve often sat in front of trees and wondered if it’s a good time to prune or if I’m better off waiting. Even when the trade-offs are clear, it can be difficult to figure out the best approach year after year in a young…
Highlights from Yamato Bonsai Kai’s 48th annual exhibition
Last weekend the Yamato Bonsai Kai held their 48th annual exhibition in Union City, California. For those unfamiliar with the club, Yamato Bonsai Kai is a “sensei club” – a club with a designated teacher. Since 1976,…
The 5th Zhongguo Fen Penjing Exhibition – Part 3
There were many larger bonsai on display outdoors in the entrance way greeting the visitors to the 5 th Zhongguo Fen Penjing Exhibition in Nanging, China. A few smaller, but still large size specimens were displayed…
The 5th Zhongguo Fen Penjing Exhibition – Part 2
Today I spent the morning studying and photographing the shohin bonsai exhibition. The trees are superb, equal in quality to the huge specimens displayed outdoors. Shohin bonsai do not present the heavy and powerful…
Bonsai Questions That May Have A Yes Answer
2019 5th Zhongguo Fen Penjing Exhibition– Part 1
The 5 th Zhongguo Fen Penjing Exhibition is being held this weekend on October 19-21, 2019 in Nanjing, China, a short 4 HOUR bus trip from the Shanghai Airport, after traveling over 18 hours from home. The exhibition is…
Displays at East Bay Bonsai Society’s 58th Annual Show
Last weekend the East Bay Bonsai Society hosted their 58th Annual Show at Lakeside Garden Center in Oakland, California. The event featured a mix of conventional displays along with a few less-traditional set-ups. Most…
Timing for fall pruning
Here’s a simple guide for determining when to prune deciduous trees in fall: prune when foliage shows fall color but before the leaves drop. Porcelain berry ready for fall pruning The timing doesn’t need to be exact,…
Quick Design Clinic – Styling A Couple Of Elms
First Taste Of Fall – And A Few Water-Elms For Next Year
An Advance Open Bonsai Workshop
This afternoon I had another Open Workshop for my advance students to style and refine their bonsai. There were a few interesting bonsai which were brought into the studio. Alan continued to work on my formal upright…
Fall pruning on Japanese plum
I’ve been working on a batch of plums for the last few years. I prune them every six months – once in spring, and once in fall. The work is simple. If a branch or section of the trunk is straight, I wire it or remove…
Branch development on Coast Live Oak – results after 8 months
The basic steps of branch development on coast live oak are simple: stimulate new shoots, shape the shoots with wire, cut back to two or three buds in fall. Following these steps can yield secondary branches in less…
In Bonsai, Time Is (Almost) Everything
New book showcases bonsai and penjing at the Montréal Botanical Garden
Bonsai | Penjing: The Collections of the Montréal Botanical Garden by Danielle Ouellet. $71.95 in hardcover from Goose Lane Editions. 276 pages. I was excited to find a note from Goose Lane Editions a few weeks ago…
A Visit To Elandan Gardens
Elandan Gardens is a beautiful and unique six acre natural oasis featuring the bonsai artistry of Dan Robinson. The garden opened in 1993 in Bremerton, Washington which is a short distance from Seattle. This is an…
Meet Gerald Rainville
Nestled in the rainforest on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia, Canada, is the bonsai nursery of Gerald Rainville. Here thousands of Japanese black pine, Sargent juniper, Dwarf Japanese garden juniper and Dawn…
2019 6th Upstate New York Suiseki Exhibit
The 6 th Upstate New York Suiseki Exhibit, sponsored by the Suiseki Study Group of Upstate New York was held on September 7-8, 2019 during the Autumn Open House & Sale at the International Bonsai Arboretum, in…
2019 Autumn Open House & Sale
This autumn’s Open House & Sale took place on Saturday and Sunday, September 7-8, 2019. In addition to many new bonsai creations in the garden most items were offered at a 20% discount, some were even at 50% off too.…
2019 42nd Midwest Bonsai Exhibition- Part 2
Additionally, there are two large courtyards full of vendors offering bonsai, pre-bonsai, supplies, suiseki, scrolls and many more items for sale. Vendors from a wide have brought some of their finest items for the…