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.
A Portrait Of What We Work Toward
2018 38th Nippon Bonsai Taikan Exhibition Part 4
I spent my fourth and last day of study at the Nippon Bonsai Taikan Ten. Each time I traveled through the exhibition new trees, companion plantings and display are discovered. After the exhibition and sushi, I return to…
A Year In The Making – Cedar Elm Bonsai
2018 38th Nippon Bonsai Taikan Exhibition Part 3
Bonsai artist Shinji Suzuki is chairman of this year’s Nippon Bonsai Taikan Exhibition. I’ve attended about 30 of these exhibitions and this year, with Mr. Suzuki’s direction there are numerous changes. Some of the…
2018 38th Nippon Bonsai Taikan Exhibition Part 2
The exhibition officially opened after the ribbon cutting ceremony at 8:40am. Politicians, Japanese bonsai dignitaries, a Chinese penjing collector and American bonsai bonsai leader cut the red and white ribbon to allow…
A Twin-Trunk Sweetgum Gets Styled
Fall vacation edition – photos from Taikan-ten
I’ll be taking a break from the blog for the next few weeks, but new posts will return mid-December. In the meantime, here are some photos from the 2011 Taikan-ten exhibit. See you next month! Bunjin black pine Massive…
2018 38th Nippon Bonsai Taikan Exhibition Part 1
The 38 th Nippon Bonsai Taikan Exhibition opens tomorrow, November 23 and runs through November 26, 2018 at the Miyako Messe Exhibition Hall in Kyoto, Japan. Shinji Suzuki is the chairman this year and the exhibition is…
A Toji Flea Market Experience
Our group left Shikoku Island on the way to Kyoto on a train crossing the scenic Inland Sea which is dotted with many small islands. The weather was warm and sunny and the islands were quite picturesque. However, the…
Visiting Kokubunji & Kinashi Bonsai Villages
The two pine bonsai production villages of Kokubunji and Kinashi have merged to be part of the city of Takamatsu on Shikoku Island, Japan. According to 2014 figures, 219 bonsai nurseries shipped 75,000 bonsai valued at…
Fall color on satsuki azaleas
It’s not uncommon to spot fall color on broadleaf evergreen species like satsuki azalea. As azaleas focus their resources on newer foliage, the older foliage can turn orange, red, purple, or yellow. Most of the satsuki…
Exploring Takamatsu, Japan
Takamatsu is the largest city on Shikoku Island and the gateway to the island over the Great Seto Bridge connecting the island to Honshu. The city is quite famous for the production of pine bonsai. However, today we did…
Visiting Shunka-en Bonsai Museum
Shunka-en Bonsai Museum in Tokyo is the home, studio, gallery and growing area of Kunio Kobayashi. I’ve visited here many times before, and like in the past there is always something new to see and study, plus Mr.…
The Exposed Root Japanese Five-needle Pine
This Japanese five-needle pine, Pinus parviflora cv., is growing in Ritsurin Garden in Takamatsu, Japan. It is on the shore of Nako Pond in front of the Kikugetsu-tei tea house complex and has been named “The Exposed…
The Nice But Annoying Ficus On My Desk
Fall’s Here – Not Much Color, But We Take What We Can Get
An Autumn Visit To Omiya Bonsai Village
Today we spent a pleasant 68F sunny day in Omiya, Japan. Our small group of only six people afforded us the opportunity to get around easily and have plenty of time to absorb the beauty of beautiful Japanese bonsai. Our…
A small step: removing supports on a collected Sierra juniper
Toward the end of last winter I repotted a large Sierra juniper. Because it was planted at an angle, I used blocks to support the tree and keep if from tipping out of the pot. Now that the roots have grown in, it’s time…
Meet A Few Of My Good Friends
For the past 50 years I’ve been teaching bonsai in Rochester, New York. Thousands of students have been introduced to bonsai through my courses and workshops. Many students enjoy the hobby, are talented and want to…
Bonsai Development Series #12: Avoid growing trunks with straight sections
I’ve set a simple goal for a group of cutting-grown plums: avoid straight growth. The idea is to produce trunks with undulating movement. Each year these plums produce new shoots in spring. I typically wire these shoots…
Brilliant Autumn Bonsai At The International Bonsai Arboretum
The 2018 summer growing season has come to an end with a hard freeze a few days ago. But, before winter arrived, my deciduous bonsai decided to put on a show and I’d like to share thier beauty with you. The spectacle of…
Swamp Maple Update – Is The End Near?
Lessons from a visit to a bonsai garden
I had the opportunity to visit Michael Hagedorn’s garden in September. It had been a while since I’d last been there and I was pleased to see so many changes. There were more new trees than I could count and the trees I…
How not to propagate princess persimmon
After a long wait, I confirmed this year that my oldest princess persimmon can bear fruit. Young princess persimmon – with fruit! Growing princess persimmon from seed is an inefficient approach as there’s no way to…