Spotted in the Wild

Separating a ground layer on a shohin olive

Last summer I started an ground layer on a small olive (see “ Shohin olive ground layer ” for details). The lower part of the trunk was unattractive so I figured layering the upper part of the trunk would be a great way…

Doing It Any Way is Better Than Not Doing It

A few months ago I reacquainted with a friend from college that I’d not spoken with in a couple decades, and we had one of those far-ranging 90-minute chats that didn’t come close to closing the gap. Among the…

Easter jobs to do in the bonsai garden

Spring Pinching and Pruning Strategies for Bonsai This week’s tutorial (published Thursday as usual) about spring pinching and pruning for Japanese maples, zelkovas, and oriental hornbeam bonsai is in the video library…

A look inside The Essential Bonsai Book

I’m writing on a Tuesday this week as the release date for The Essential Bonsai Book has arrived! It’s hard to sum up all that went into the book over the last three years – four major drafts, eleven photo shoots,…

Spring Photo Gallery With Notes

To help see asymmetrical planting position in repotting, use a chopstick to find the center of mass for the lower trunk and nebari. The chopstick shows more easily where it is, right or left, in the pot. Then adjust…

A visit to Kenji Miyata’s garden

When I found out I was going to Atlanta, I immediately made plans to visit Kenji Miyata’s garden. Kenji is a Japanese-trained bonsai professional who spent the majority of his career in the US, first in California, and…

Why Are There So Many Right Flow Trees?

Right flow Japanese Maple. In display the accent piece would be to the right. Luis Vallejo Bonsai Museum, Spain. Left flow Chinese Hackberry. Luis Vallejo Bonsai Museum, Spain. A common comment is, “The majority of my…

Highlights from the 2025 Atlanta Bonsai Society Annual Show

Earlier this month I made a trip to Georgia to participate in the Atlanta Bonsai Society’s annual show. Held at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, the two-day event featured vendors, critiques, a workshop, (fantastic food),…

March 21, 2025– Advanced Open Bonsai Workshop

Advanced Open Workshops are now beginning at the International Bonsai Arboretum, Rochester, New York, conducted by William N. Valavanis. The Introductory Bonsai Course will soon begin on the four Monday evenings in…

Review: Kimura Techniques Masterclass 2

The latest online course from Bonsai Empire continues its series with Mr. Masahiko Kimura. The 4.5 hour series of video lectures covers the styling of a huge Japanese Black Pine and the detailing of a Hinoki Cypress for…

Example Of A Good Pigeon Breast

Remember that guideline to avoid pigeon breasts? A strong movement of part of the trunk toward the viewer? Well. Here is a tree that just begged for that guideline to be ignored. (Somewhere in Bonsai Heresy I wrote…

A visit to the Chinese Garden at the Huntington

After visiting the Bonsai Collection at the Huntington, I carved out time to visit the adjacent Chinese Garden. It was an eye-opening experience! Taking its inspiration from 16th and 17th century gardens in Suzho (near…

Unusual Repotting Projects ‘25

A photo essay of notable repots this year, with comments. A Styrax air-layer ready to separate. The roots were getting tight in the small pot. And a new bonsai is born. Will pots up the baby in a training pot. This is…

Visiting the GSBF Collection at The Huntington

Last weekend I had a fantastic visit to the GSBF Collection at The Huntington. I was in town for the Bonsai-A-Thon, the garden’s annual fundraiser, as a visiting artist sponsored by Joshua Roth (thanks, John and…

100% Pumice As Soil

For years I’ve been impressed with the bold root growth in boxes with collected yamadori, in 100% pumice. Trees as distinct as Pine and Maple have predictably strong root growth. Once I recall trying to stick a…

Reworking A Forest

This is a forest of Vine Maples, Acer circinatum , that came to the studio recently. Last week we took it apart and redesigned it. This forest has older plants with a few young ones. The age range has promise, but there…

Highlights from BABA and California Shohin Seminar

Two recent Northern California bonsai events – the Bay Area Bonsai Associates annual show and the California Shohin Seminar – featured some great trees. Here are some of the highlights along with comments about the…

2025 99th Kokufu BonsaiExhibition- Part 2

This year, like many others, the exhibition was held in two parts. Part 1 February 8-11, and Part 2 February 13-16, 2025. On Wednesday all the bonsai were replaced with fresh masterpieces so another 200 trees could be…

Pacific Bonsai Museum Excels: An Interview With Curator Aarin Packard

Not far off the I-5 interstate south of Seattle is a public bonsai collection gem, Pacific Bonsai Museum. Full of diverse and top-notch specimens, for years it has served as a locus to inspire and educate us about…

2025 99th Kokufu Bonsai Exhibition­– Part 1– Part 2

2025 99th Kokufu Bonsai Exhibition­– Part 1

The 99 th Kokufu Bonsai Exhibition is being held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum in Ueno Park, Tokyo, Japan. It is considered to be the world’s finest bonsai exhibition. Part1 is being held on February 8-11, 2025,…

Juniper Form and Balance: Step Two with the Itoigawa Juniper

In our latest video tutorial, we continue our journey with the Itoigawa Juniper, focusing on the crucial second step: refining the tree’s form and balance. After the intricate deadwood work in the previous episode, it’s…

My Most Unforgettable Trip to Japan

WARNING, this entry is not about bonsai, but rather saga of my trip. So please feel free to skip this entry. My first trip to Japan was in 1970. Since then I’ve had over 100 trips to Japan which were wonderful but not…

Pot selection exercise – ume

One of the best ways to refine your sense of which pots are a good match for a given tree is to try out different alternatives. This is especially true for trees with unusual shapes or features. In the case of the ume…