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.
An idea for a bonsai show
I’d like to host a bonsai show in November, 2021. You’re all invited. For the past few years, Eric Schrader and I have been thinking about how much fun it would be to attend an exhibit that shows off some of the best…
Autumn 2019 Japan International Bonsai Exploration
This year marks the 20 th anniversary that Kora Dalager and I have been leading value priced bonsai tours to Japan and Asia. Kora is a seasoned travel agent who has traveled the world and that is also a skilled and…
Bonsai Beyond The Border– Yuji Yoshimura, A Bonsai Artist Across the Ocean; New York, 1958
On October 12 – November 24, the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum in Japan presented an Autumn Special Exhibition to commemorate the 10 th Anniversary and Sister Museum Partnership with the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum in…
The benefits of thinning satsuki azaleas in fall
Last year I grew a batch of azaleas that had recently been bare-rooted. To help the trees get established, I let them grow freely all year. By fall they were healthy and full of new leaves. Normally I like to thin…
Roughleaf Dogwood Styling Work
Fall Color, Pseudo Fall Color, And An Early Hard Freeze
Review of Bonsai Empire’s Advanced Bonsai Courses
Over the past year, Bjorn Bjorholm and Bonsai Empire released two online courses focusing on advanced bonsai techniques. Together, the courses provide twelve hours of instruction delivered by Bjorn. If you caught the…
WINTER SILHOUETTE BONSAI EXPO COMIMG UP SOON! Don’t miss this event
There is less than a month away from one of the finest bonsai exhibitions in the country. Now is the time to make plans to visit the Winter Silhouette Bonsai Expo in Kannapolis, North Carolina, near Charlotte, on…
Refining a 15 year-old black pine
One of my favorite things about working on trees I’ve had for a long time is that the work is straightforward. My normal pattern is to spend the first few years of a tree’s time in my garden getting it healthy. Once the…
Fall cutback on stewartia
As the weather has started to cool where I live, leaves are now falling from some of the deciduous trees in my garden. This is the perfect time for fall pruning. Stewartia monadelpha I first remove the dead leaves so I…
2019 Autumn Beauty At The International Bonsai Arboretum
The “official” 2019 growing season has now ended, despite the lack of a killing frost, yet. We do expect some cold days later this week in the mid-20F range, and perhaps two inches of snow. That’s actually what I’m…
Tracking down banding symptoms in black pine
I was surprised to find yellow banding on a few of my pines this fall. It’s not something I’ve seen much of in my garden over the years so it caught my attention when small yellow patches appeared. Yellow banding on…
Layering To Improve Trunk Base And Rootage – Privet
BDS #19: Encouraging interior buds on young red pines
After more than twenty years of growing pine bonsai from seed, I noticed a big difference between red and black pines this year. Red pines are harder. Specifically, red pines are less likely to develop small shoots in…
Fall clean-up on shohin satsuki azalea
Fall is a good time to thin satsuki azaleas that filled in over summer. Shohin satsuki azalea – ‘Hanabin’ Doing this work lets light into the tree’s interior and makes it easy to spray for thrips, lace bugs, or any…
Bonsai Development Series #18: Timing cutback to support development goals
I’ve often sat in front of trees and wondered if it’s a good time to prune or if I’m better off waiting. Even when the trade-offs are clear, it can be difficult to figure out the best approach year after year in a young…
Highlights from Yamato Bonsai Kai’s 48th annual exhibition
Last weekend the Yamato Bonsai Kai held their 48th annual exhibition in Union City, California. For those unfamiliar with the club, Yamato Bonsai Kai is a “sensei club” – a club with a designated teacher. Since 1976,…
The 5th Zhongguo Fen Penjing Exhibition – Part 3
There were many larger bonsai on display outdoors in the entrance way greeting the visitors to the 5 th Zhongguo Fen Penjing Exhibition in Nanging, China. A few smaller, but still large size specimens were displayed…
The 5th Zhongguo Fen Penjing Exhibition – Part 2
Today I spent the morning studying and photographing the shohin bonsai exhibition. The trees are superb, equal in quality to the huge specimens displayed outdoors. Shohin bonsai do not present the heavy and powerful…
Bonsai Questions That May Have A Yes Answer
2019 5th Zhongguo Fen Penjing Exhibition– Part 1
The 5 th Zhongguo Fen Penjing Exhibition is being held this weekend on October 19-21, 2019 in Nanjing, China, a short 4 HOUR bus trip from the Shanghai Airport, after traveling over 18 hours from home. The exhibition is…
Displays at East Bay Bonsai Society’s 58th Annual Show
Last weekend the East Bay Bonsai Society hosted their 58th Annual Show at Lakeside Garden Center in Oakland, California. The event featured a mix of conventional displays along with a few less-traditional set-ups. Most…
Timing for fall pruning
Here’s a simple guide for determining when to prune deciduous trees in fall: prune when foliage shows fall color but before the leaves drop. Porcelain berry ready for fall pruning The timing doesn’t need to be exact,…