An educational website about bonsai development
We re used to looking at photos of trees with the camera pointed squarely at the front of the tree. It s a good way to get the basic idea of a tree s shape. Korean hornbeam before pruning Half-way done Front view after partial defoliation What this approach can hide is what a tree looks like [ ]
When I started growing bonsai, fertilizing was simple. I sprinkled cottonseed meal on the surface of the soil and watered with fish emulsion every few weeks. Applying fish emulsion (circa 2010) This approach worked well for years, up until rodents began stealing the fertilizer and digging up the soil. I needed to make a change. [ ]
Imagine you re in charge of maintaining the trees in the National Bonsai Penjing Museum s Chinese Pavilion. Your experience is with bonsai, but from a Western perspective. You begin with a tree like the black pine below. Japanese black pine The tree appears to have been trained as a literati, or bunjin bonsai, but it s [ ]
I spent World Bonsai Day at the National Bonsai Penjing Museum in Washington, D.C. this year a fitting location for the event! It had been many years since my last visit to the museum which made it really fun to see how the trees had changed. It was also an opportunity to see [ ]
How do landscape, native flora, and cultural practices shape bonsai expression? This is the question Aarin Packard and the Pacific Bonsai Museum investigate in their current exhibit, Bonsai United. The exhibit investigates ways in which the environment, the culture, and the expression of bonsai differ in fifteen countries around the world. Shimpaku grafted on Sierra [ ]
When I was in town for the MidAtlantic Bonsai Society s Spring Festival I made a side trip to Longwood Gardens. Located in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, Longwood features over 1000 acres spread over several properties of incredible gardens. It also features a bonsai collection. The collection got its start almost 70 year ago with thirteen trees [ ]
Whenever I bring new trees to the garden I look forward to cleaning them up so I can take a closer look. This is especially true when trees have weeds or unhealthy foliage. In general my intake process includes: Cleaning up a tree is a good way to get to know it. I like removing [ ]
When I have the time, I test out every container I can find when I m repotting to see which I like best for a given tree. Size is the most important attribute to consider (to keep the tree healthy), followed closely by shape. From there I consider color and quality (I don t like using show [ ]
The Mid-Atlantic Bonsai Societies is a network of eleven bonsai clubs in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Delaware, and Pennsylvania. Each spring these clubs are invited to display trees at the region s annual convention, the Spring Festival. Peter Warren, Kaya Mooney, and I were invited guests at the event and we had a great time. [ ]
One of the most anticipated stops on our tour this year was a visit to Kimura s garden. The section that s open to the public is relatively small and almost exclusively filled with pines and junipers. The most famous of these is a shimpaku named Toryu no mai ( Dance of the Ascending Dragon ). Shimpaku Toryu [ ]