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This year marks the 20th 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 knowledgeable bonsai artist and teacher. She is especially interested in bonsai display and presents programs and workshops on companion plantings. I hasten to point out that both Kora and have individually led many bonsai tours for years before combining our talents to offer more interesting and economical explorations of the Japanese bonsai world and Asia.

 
On October 12 – November 24, the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum in Japan presented an Autumn Special Exhibition to commemorate the 10th Anniversary and Sister Museum Partnership with the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum in Washington, DC. The Omiya Bonsai Art Museum featured bonsai Pioneer Yuji Yoshimura, second generation bonsai artist from Tokyo who, with the encouragement of his father, left Japan to teach Westerners classical Japanese bonsai. To date, the Japanese bonsai community has not recognized the unique and significant contribution Yuji Yoshimura made to expand the beauty and understanding of bonsai outside Japan.

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.

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.

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 Saturday and Sunday 7-8, 2109.

One of my favorite things about working on trees I’ve had for a long time is that the work is straightforward.

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.

 
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 waiting for, so the bonsai in the main display area can be protected for the winter. All the bonsai in training, sales bonsai and nursery stock was put away yesterday by my Monday Senior Crew. They are a great group of hard working friends who help me with the bonsai and my bonsai activities to promote, expand and improve the bonsai community.