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.
Highlights from the 8th US National Bonsai Exhibition – part 1
Last month, William N. Valavanis hosted the 8th US National Bonsai Exhibition in East Rochester, New York. At the start of the event, Bill reviewed all of the exhibits and seminars he’s hosted over the years and…
Climbing Hydrangea As Bonsai
Vines make unusual bonsai. You might not want 20 Hydrangea, but 1 is a conversation piece. With a few exceptions like Bougainvillea, vines tend to have thin trunks and leggy branching. And yet they are easy to grow in a…
Brown foliage on a Juniper Bonsai
In this video we investigate why a Juniper Bonsai might change the color of its foliage, often a signal of distress as a result of problems in the care. We also explain what to do in case it changes quickly (turning…
From Christmas tree to Bonsai #shorts
Creating a Bonsai can be cheap! Check out this short where we create a nice little Bonsai out of Christmas tree material. Serious about growing your own Bonsai trees? Then consider enrolling in one of our online Bonsai…
Piotr Czerniachowski Bonsai demo at Trophy 2023
In this live Bonsai demonstration at the 2023 Trophy event, Piotr Czerniachowski styles a Pine assisted by Jarek Lenarczyk. The pine is estimated to be over 200 years old. Serious about growing your own Bonsai trees?…
Young Juniper Stock: Pt. I, Pre-Styling
What’s pre-styling? That was my sketch for a word I didn’t have. But maybe it’s what you do to a plant before you fully style it. And that’s what Carmen did last week, a partial styling. We grew a bunch of Itoigawa from…
2023 8th US National Bonsai Exhibition
THE exhibition has come and gone, and it’s taken me personally one week to recover. Well over 1,000 paying visitors from Australia, Italy, England, Mexico, Colombia traveled to Rochester, New York to see and study over…
Experience Japanese Culture, Gardens & Bonsai In A Small Group
Have you ever considered to visit the Japan bonsai community and to experience Japanese culture? Here is your opportunity to experience the Taikan Bonsai Exhibition, visit private bonsai collections, and Kyoto gardens.…
What Do We Call The Top Of A Bonsai?
The top? Apex? Crown? Canopy? Head? And more importantly—does it matter? The Japanese call the top of a bonsai the “atama”, which is head. As an apprentice, light bulbs went off when I heard them calling the top the…
Juniper Deadwood—Which Resists Rot Best?
Deadwood is a prized feature on many conifer bonsai. For the most part, shari and jin on the upper part of the tree rots slowly, as it dries out faster. If in contact with the soil, however, rotting is accelerated. As a…
Larix decidua: Tough and adaptable with graceful branches and golden foliage
Larch is actually a mix of conifer and deciduous trees, it has best of both worlds. Its leaves change with the season from fresh green to a golden glow in autumn. It is an extremely sturdy and hardy tree which tolerates…
Fall Deciduous Bonsai Maintenance
Explore the art of working with deciduous trees in autumn. Discover the secrets of rough styling, maximizing structure, and building deciduous trees from scratch. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned enthusiast, join…
The Master speaks, Masahiko Kimura
An impression of the WBC in Saitama Japan. Including an exclusive interview with Masahiko Kimura translated by Ryan Neil
Masahiko Kimura likes Green T
An impression of the demonstration held by Masahiko Kimura during the WBC Saitama 2017. Here Kimura works with rock and junipers using the new Green T plus
BCI Mulhouse
A all in one show: BCI, French National show, Bonsai Euro Top 30 and Folie'Fleur in Mulhouse, France A short impression of the outdoor garden/bonsai show
Making a small Juniper Bonsai #shorts
In this short video we create a nice little Juniper Bonsai. The full video will soon be available in 4K. If you want to learn more about Bonsai, consider enrolling in one of our Online Bonsai Courses. For the…
DIY: Making a Spruce Bonsai tree
Learn how to make a bonsai tree from cheap nursery stock material! The tree we work on is a Spruce (Picea abies), purchased at a local garden center for about 10 USD. Today's work is step one in the process of this tree…
November Newsletter 2018
IN THIS ISSUE: • President’s Perspective • Raffle Winner • October Meeting Review • Up for Debate • Club Information Read More...
October Newsletter 2018
October 2018 Newsletter ◊ Volume 15 Issue 8 ◊ annarborbonsaisociety.org ◊ AABonsaiSociety@gmail.com The Ann Arbor Bonsai Society meets on the fourth Wednesday of the month at the U-M-Matthaei Botanical Gardens, 1800 N.…
Carmen Wires a Scots Pine
Here’s a tree that Carmen Leskoviansky , my apprentice, worked on. Carmen has been here for two years now. Prior to that she was a very quiet Seasonal student. She isn’t anymore. Daily I hear the animal report—the…
Highlights from the 37th REBS bonsai show – part 2
Here’s part two of the highlights from the Redwood Empire Bonsai Society’s 37th annual show. See last week’s post for more highlights or check out all of the trees on display at the REBS website . I’m taking a brief…
A Weak Branch Trick
Is a branch on a bonsai failing? Getting weak? Feel it’s essential and don’t wish to lose it? Well, you MAY have come to the right place. I say “may” as we’ve only tried this technique once in our yard, but do have…
Part II: The Bonsai Imaginations of Pierre Leloup
Here’s another landscape by Canadian artist Pierre Leloup. I spent time up in Quebec and Ontario as a youth among the lakes and islands, and his work is an evocation of my memory. For this composition, which is so…
Construction of Metal Stand for Juniper
Though this little Juniper has already made a cameo or two on the blog, this post is a photo essay of the construction and thinking behind its new metal support. Enjoy the photos! A few of our elements for this project:…