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.
First Taste Of Fall – And A Few Water-Elms For Next Year
An Advance Open Bonsai Workshop
This afternoon I had another Open Workshop for my advance students to style and refine their bonsai. There were a few interesting bonsai which were brought into the studio. Alan continued to work on my formal upright…
Fall pruning on Japanese plum
I’ve been working on a batch of plums for the last few years. I prune them every six months – once in spring, and once in fall. The work is simple. If a branch or section of the trunk is straight, I wire it or remove…
Branch development on Coast Live Oak – results after 8 months
The basic steps of branch development on coast live oak are simple: stimulate new shoots, shape the shoots with wire, cut back to two or three buds in fall. Following these steps can yield secondary branches in less…
In Bonsai, Time Is (Almost) Everything
New book showcases bonsai and penjing at the Montréal Botanical Garden
Bonsai | Penjing: The Collections of the Montréal Botanical Garden by Danielle Ouellet. $71.95 in hardcover from Goose Lane Editions. 276 pages. I was excited to find a note from Goose Lane Editions a few weeks ago…
A Visit To Elandan Gardens
Elandan Gardens is a beautiful and unique six acre natural oasis featuring the bonsai artistry of Dan Robinson. The garden opened in 1993 in Bremerton, Washington which is a short distance from Seattle. This is an…
Meet Gerald Rainville
Nestled in the rainforest on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia, Canada, is the bonsai nursery of Gerald Rainville. Here thousands of Japanese black pine, Sargent juniper, Dwarf Japanese garden juniper and Dawn…
2019 6th Upstate New York Suiseki Exhibit
The 6 th Upstate New York Suiseki Exhibit, sponsored by the Suiseki Study Group of Upstate New York was held on September 7-8, 2019 during the Autumn Open House & Sale at the International Bonsai Arboretum, in…
2019 Autumn Open House & Sale
This autumn’s Open House & Sale took place on Saturday and Sunday, September 7-8, 2019. In addition to many new bonsai creations in the garden most items were offered at a 20% discount, some were even at 50% off too.…
2019 42nd Midwest Bonsai Exhibition- Part 2
Additionally, there are two large courtyards full of vendors offering bonsai, pre-bonsai, supplies, suiseki, scrolls and many more items for sale. Vendors from a wide have brought some of their finest items for the…
2019 42nd Midwest Bonsai Exhibition- Part 1
42ndMidwest Bonsai Exhibition is being held on August 16-19, 2019 at the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe, Illinois, hosted and organized by the Midwest Bonsai Society. Nearly 100 bonsai from across the Midwest and…
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. A…
Suiseki Collecting Trip
The Suiseki Study Group of Upstate New York had the annual collecting trip today. Twelve members from the Greater Rochester, NY area along with members from Erie, PA and Ithaca, NY gathered at a favorite stream, which…
Diagnosing root rot in black and red pine bonsai
For years, I’ve spotted unhealthy shoots on black and red pines and wondered about the cause. Unhealthy foliage on black pine The main symptoms are discoloration – primarily yellow foliage – and deformed needles. The…
Cutback on winter jasmine
Winter jasmine ( Jasminum nudiflorum ) is a deciduous shrub. Unlike trees that have specific branch patterns, winter jasmine produce shoots that emerge in all directions. Winter jasmine They are appreciated for their…
Bonsai Development Series #17: Thin foliage to preserve interior shoots
Generating new shoots on Japanese black pines is easy. If a healthy tree is pruned, you can expect lots of new growth. Over time, however, crowded shoots can prevent light from reaching the tree’s interior. When this…
Homing in on the ideal environment for satsuki azaleas
A few months ago, two satsuki professionals visited my garden. The weather was unseasonably warm when they arrived – it reached 102, an unusual high for June – and they were worried I wasn’t watering my azaleas enough.…
Tips for applying liquid fertilizer
Liquid fertilizer is a great way to provide nutrition for your bonsai. I’ve been using fish-based fertilizers for years and although it’s smelly, it’s effective and offers control when I want to limit how much…
Summer watering tip
Have you ever found that some trees dry out a lot faster than others this time of year? It happens a lot in my garden, on old trees and young trees alike. One thing that can cause this is not watering thoroughly.…
Cutback and wiring a Green Island ficus
I’ve been caring for a ficus for the past few months, and have enjoyed seeing the lush green foliage in the garden. Green Island ficus As we’re nearing the end of summer, this is my last chance to prune the tree and…
Initial styling on a Ponderosa pine
I’d been looking forward to working on a Ponderosa pine this year. Now that the old needles are starting to turn yellow and fall away, it was time to do some work. Ponderosa pine – 18″ tall The best features of the tree…
Restoring health to an old Jeffrey pine – update and fall work
A year-and-a-half ago I started working on an old Jeffrey pine. The first step was to help the tree regain vigor (see “ Repotting a Jeffrey Pine ” for details). Here’s what the tree looked like after repotting in March,…
Initial styling on a Rocky Mountain juniper
I’ve been looking at a Rocky Mountain juniper in my garden for the last three years. The trunk is fairly straight, but there is interesting deadwood on one side. Rocky Mountain juniper – side A Side B Although it was a…