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.
Why Are My Pine Needles Twisted?
The shape of pine needles gives us clues to our pine care. Generally the straighter and shorter the needle the better. For clean profiles on our mature pine bonsai that is the preference. The tree looks tighter, less…
US NATIONAL BONSAI EXHIBITION UPDATE
A big thank you to everyone who has registered for a Weekend Pass at the upcoming 9 th US National Bonsai Exhibition on September 13-14 2025 in Rochester, New York We are ready to welcome you to Rochester for the US…
Highlights from the 47th Mid-America Bonsai Exhibit
This past weekend I had the pleasure of serving as the featured guest at the 47th Annual Mid-America Bonsai Exhibit hosted by the Midwest Bonsai Society. It was a fantastic weekend thanks to the hard work of the…
Developing A Harland Boxwood
A few years back I acquired two Harland Boxwoods from a friend and have greatly enjoyed having them around. This week one of them got up on the workbench. Harland Boxwood, Buxus harlandii , in summer, before work. This…
August 2025 Bonsai Sale
After studying, growing, training and teaching bonsai for 63 years I have accumulated too many bonsai. Many of the trees have grown large and are too heavy for me to move. Watering and coming in contact with each tree…
Embracing the Natural Flow – Bonsai in a Loose and Organic Style
In the world of bonsai, precision and control often dominate the conversation. We admire the crisp lines, the disciplined shapes, and the miniature grandeur of trees sculpted to perfection. But there’s another path—one…
When Do We Create Accents?
Pitcher Plant and Pearly Everlasting at the Portland Japanese Garden Perennials make up most accent plants. They die back to the roots in the fall, with most of them stubble at repotting time. No leaves in sight. It may…
A visit to David Nguy’s garden
Getting to know David Nguy over the years has been a pleasure. The first time we had a chance to talk at length was on a trip to Japan about eight years ago. He invited me to his garden that day, and I’d been looking…
Australian National Bonsai and Penjing Collection
In May of 2025 I was in Australia to present at their National Bonsai Convention. It was held in Canberra on the grounds of the National Arboretum. Jennifer Price and myself—the headliners for the weekend—were given a…
Mid-Summer Trident Rework
Mid-summer can be a great time to work on deciduous bonsai. If you have 2 or 3 months left in the growing season it’s not too late. Strong plants like Trident Maple may be reimagined with a hard pruning at this time.…
The Snow Load Assumption
On mountaintops the snow can be deep and last into the summer. If branches on trees are brought down they may stay there for months, buried in snow, next to the trunks like bird wings. Some may even be pinned to the…
Tom Vuong’s Giant Trees
I drew a lot of inspiration from my visit to Tom Vuong’s bonsai garden. It wasn’t just the trees, but the way he handled them. California juniper Semi-cascade California juniper Tom came up with many the techniques he…
Photo Whiteout Exercise
This photo is in a retirement home in Wisconsin that I frequent. My mother lives there. The complex is so huge that I often forget which hallway it is on, but when I do find it I stand in front of it as if viewing a…
It All Starts at the Roots
This week’s tutorial dives into one of the most foundational—and often overlooked—aspects of bonsai artistry: the nebari , or surface roots. Just as the trunk and branch structure define the character of a bonsai, the…
Satsuki Azalea Early Summer Work: Fishtail
The major season of work on Satsuki azalea is after blooming. Remaining flowers are removed. The ovaries are cut off. And the shoots are selected, shortened, and the leaves reduced to 2, a technique known as fishtail .…
A visit to Peter Macasieb’s shohin garden
Seeing photos ahead of time didn’t adequately prepare me for the literal wall of bonsai that greets visitors at Peter Macasieb’s garden. Peter Macasieb’s garden Peter has been a fixture in the Southern California bonsai…
Blog Survey: What Do You Want To Read?
Hello Subscribers! This week I have a question for you: What would you like to see here? I write weekly and I don’t run out of things to write about. Usually what I write about is what is in front of me, or in front of…
Grafting JBP on Ponderosa: 20-Year Report
I think the bold feeling of Ponderosa looks great on big trees. On smaller ones, I’m not so enamored. So for 20 years I’ve explored, like others, grafting Japanese Black Pine onto Ponderosa Pine. To start with, the…
Balancing summer growth on black pine
Black pines are one of a number of species that don’t naturally produce balanced growth. These pines are likely to produce strong shoots near the apex or at the ends of lower branches and weaker shoots everywhere else.…
Some changes this week and the next
Some temporary changes for members of Kisetsu-en the next two weeks. Because I am down a bit with some cold and a tough virus I have to change the time schedule for Thursday and also the next weeks planned Live Q&A is…
Little Champions – Special Exhibit at the Pacific Bonsai Museum
A “Champion Tree” is a specimen that has been measured to be the largest of its species (see “ Champion Tree Registry “). The findings are based on a points system that considers tree height, trunk circumference, and…
June Bonsai Projects
A few projects from the 2025 June Seasonal workshop—with notes on Styrax, Black Pine, Red Maple, a ground-layered Beech, and a magnificent flowering carnivorous plant. Jody and Nick defoliate a Styrax. The Styrax after…
The Refinement Of A Valavanis Dwarf Cypress Bonsai
Developing a bonsai can be a fulfilling accomplishment. Taking a young cutting or seedling and carefully growing it to a size for shaping and training is one of the most common methods for bonsai creation. Although time…
Why Fertilising Right Matters
Shohin bonsai—tiny trees with towering presence—are a marvel of miniature horticulture. Typically no taller than 20 cm (about 8 inches), these small-scale bonsai demand not only artistic vision but also precise care.…