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.
Small Talk – A special exhibition at the Pacific Bonsai Museum
I was reminded last week what an awesome resource we have in the Pacific Bonsai Museum. For those who haven’t visited, the museum hosts a collection of outstanding bonsai in Federal Way, Washington. It may be best…
When Do We NOT Make A Concave Pruning Cut?
“Make a concavity when finishing pruning cuts.” This is what we’re taught. And, for most part, it’s not bad advice. We use ball cutters or a chisel to hollow out an area where a branch was. The callus and resulting…
Decandling a field-grown pine
I kicked off this year’s decandling season by working on a pine that had been left to grow freely for a few years. Black pine with long shoots When decandling, we have the option to simply remove the current year’s…
Review: The Essential Bonsai Book
The latest book by Jonas Dupuich hit the market this spring. It’s a beautiful book that meets this moment of knowledge, in clear language accessible to anyone. Author Jonas Dupuich of the Bonsai Tonight blog and store.…
Growing Flowering Shohin Bonsai
There’s something quietly magical about a flowering shohin bonsai. In just a handful of centimeters, it holds the grace of a full-sized tree and the delicate beauty of seasonal blooms. Among the many species suited for…
Hitting the reset button
If you’re not happy with a tree’s structure, you can always hit the reset button and remove any branches you’re unhappy with. This process looks different for different species but the basic idea is the same: remove any…
Show Highlights From The Australian National Bonsai Convention
Australia’s National Bonsai Convention wrapped up this past weekend. Here’s an overview of the event, a selection of trees from the show, and a few notes from my trip up north to Queensland. The view flying into…
2025 52nd Upstate New York Exhibition & Sale
The Bonsai Society of Upstate New York, based in Rochester, is hosting the 52 nd exhibition for only one day this year because of a scheduling conflict. Sunday, May 18, 2025, was the only date available to the group.…
Spring work for deciduous bonsai
Not long after my deciduous bonsai leaf out, I start thinking about when the perfect time would be to prune and partially defoliate them. In general, the more dense the branches, the earlier in the season I do the work.…
Visit With Jarryd Bailey In Tasmania
Some of you may remember Jarryd Bailey here on the blog, who came to study at Crataegus Bonsai a few years back. He lives in Tasmania, which is about as far south as you can go before you run out of Eucalypts and are…
A visit to the Bonsai Pavilion at Safari Park
Last weekend the San Diego Bonsai Club held their 60th anniversary celebration. The event was held at the San Diego Zoo’s Safari Park, home to the Bonsai Pavilion, a beautiful garden and bonsai collection built and…
Michigan All-State Bonsai Show
The Michigan All-State Bonsai Show took place on May 10-11, 2025, at Majier Gardens and Sculpture Garden in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The Outdoor Tokonoma at Kisetsu-en Bonsai Garden
On request I have written a post about the outdoor Tokonoma created a few years ago A Blend of Tradition and Innovation In the serene Kisetsu-en Bonsai Garden, I crafted an outdoor Tokonoma that merges traditional…
Right-sizing a bonsai collection
One consequence of writing a book about bonsai is that I’ve really started to take some of the lessons to heart. For years I’ve known I have more trees than I can adequately care for. When I take on more projects than I…
The Story Of David DeGroot’s Black Pine Raft
In typical David DeGroot humility, he says of his Japanese Black Pine raft, “Like many of my trees, it has gone through occasional work or restyling followed by long periods of neglect, so it is much younger in its…
Bonus Images!
Shunka-en Bonsai Museum– Kunio Kobayashi
Omiya Bonsai Village
Omiya Bonsai Art Museum Kyuka-en Bonsai Garden– Yukio Murata Mansei–en Bonsai Garden– Takahiro Kato
Wire Weekend Wales
Thank you, Dragon Bonsai in Wales , for another great weekend. Boy, did we do a lot of trees over the weekend. Excellent company, food and people. I always feel very welcome – even when I suggest a branch to be removed…
A Quick Visit To Fuyo-en Bonsai Garden–Takeyama
Since I got on the wrong plane and I ended up in Tokyo, I thought real hard (yea) how to take advantage of a surprise short visit to Japan. This visit was not as short as my February trip, but I was able to walk. Spent…
What Does Spruce Pinching Do?
Spruce bonsai are beautiful at any time of year, but in the spring they brighten with masses of light green buds. Here is an Engelmann Spruce that illustrates why we pinch these buds in spring. The Engelmann Spruce…
BCI Regional Penjing & Stone Convention in China
The 2025 BCI (Fengyan, China) Stone Appreciation Exhibition and 3 rd Anhui Province Fine Penjing Invitational Exhibition is being held on April 24-25, 2025 in Fengyan, China. Having been credited with the concept of…
Bonsai in Wales coming up – Q&A Live Thursday coming up
Spring is running fast forward, and it looks like the bonsai will receive some warmth and sunny weather the next week. This speed up the growth and the need of paying attention on watering. If a tree lacks water or is…
Early Spring at The International Bonsai Arboretum
APRIL 16, 2025!!