Home

The 6thUpstate 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 Rochester, New York. This exhibit is held every two years in late summer. Fifteen members displayed 41 suiseki from their private collections. The stones were collected from New York, Pennsylvania, China, Japan, California, Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Georgia.

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 redwood can be found from young seedlings/cuttings to developed 33 year bonsai.

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 excellent location to appreciate the art of bonsai pioneer Dan Robinson who introduced power tools to the bonsai world. Dan’s bonsai are truly unique, and clearly show the respect he has for old, ancient trees surviving the elements of nature. Dead tree trunks, an and snags are prominently displayed with the bonsai as well as interesting stones. He enjoys explaining how and when he collected his world class bonsai revealing secrets of nature one might miss when casually seeing the trees. Most of his bonsai include signs which explain the history and other interesting facts about the trees.

The Pacific Bonsai Museum, nestled within towering conifers is a unique collection of bonsai from countries bordering the Pacific Rim. The peaceful atmosphere of the displays and well maintained areas draws one into a special world to quietly experience the beauty of bonsai. The museum is located in Federal Way, Washington, near Seattle on the Weyerhauser Campus.

 
Coming up soon the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum (Saitama, Japan) has organized an Autumn Special Exhibition Commemorating their 10th Anniversary and Sister Partnership with the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum in Washington, DC.

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.

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, 2018, followed by a photo of what it looks like today.

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.

I’ve been caring for a ficus for the past few months, and have enjoyed seeing the lush green foliage in the garden.

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.