Bonsai tree: America’s Oldest Bonsai Collection

Two trees from one at The Larz Anderson Collection. I borrowed this image from Colin Lewis’ Bonsai Art website in the Larz Anderson section. Here’s what Colin has to say about this photo: Known as “Mother and daughter,” these two trees were originally one, until a lower branch, with its own set of roots, became separated from the main trunk in 1969.
Read more!

Bonsai tree: Johnny Uchida Saikei

This stellar saikei by Johnny Uchida was sent to us by Noah. Johnny Uchida is the owner of Grove Way Nursery in Hayward, California.
Here what Noah has to say about this planting: “This saikei was done by Johnny Uchida of Grove Way Bonsai as an example for beginning students who were learning to make their own saikeis and he gave me permission to share them. Mr. Uchida is also the sensei of Yamato Bonsai Kai in Northern California. The trees are cryptomeria and hinoki cypress and the composition is made with locally sourced rocks, gravel, moss, lichen and various accent plants.”
Read more!

Bonsai tree: Shohin Seminar from California

It’s hard to create a good shohin display. With larger trees, we work to find trees, pots, stands, and accents that work well together. With shohin, the same is true but the number of trees can jump to 6 or more. When done well, shohin displays create truly unique experiences. Here are some photos from this year’s California Shohin Seminar, the biennial event held in Santa Nella, CA.

Shohin display

Even in smaller displays it’s hard to get trees that point the right way and complement each other well. The display below does a good job of mixing broadleaf, deciduous, and coniferous bonsai.

Read more!

Amazing Pots and Monterey Cypress

This is a wind-shaped Monterey cypresses. I will have some more photos after I make order in them.



Amazing landscapes on California Coast.










Interesting pot art, I would like to give such a home for at least some of my bonsai's. Soon I will try to find some in my hometown. Read more!

Crafty Nick’s Crazy Cedar

You like unconventional? Crazy? How about daring and masterful? Notice how the color and design of the pot plays with the wild deadwood and the small touch of moss on the left mirrors the foliage. Just another bonsai from left fild by crafty old Nick Lenz, master left fielder, author, and preminent master of cedars, larches and other collected North American gems. This photo is from North American Bonsai (American Bonsai Society – compiled and edited by Martin Schmalenberg), now on sale at Stone Lantern.

Read more!

Hinoki cypress bonsai

Look at it. How graceful it is. How old and ageless it looks. Beautiful and adorable CHAMAECYPARIS SP., or how we call it Dwarf Hinoki or False Cypress, stands up here making your eyes enjoy. There are a lot of cypress versions, with different look, form of leaves and color, which varies from bright green to pale-grayish. Trees are distinguished with theirs golden shades and needles, completely covering the bark. The edges of the leaves have blue coloring and the tree when mature will produce miniature cones, typically the size of a pea.The trees and the bushes in the wild nature, can reach heights in 50 meters with formation of a conic crone. Prominent cypress feature is ability of its some branches to a mutation that allows to receive new copies of a tree from stem cuttings.

Caring in vegetation period

Despite strong look, this coniferous tree does not carry excessive stay on the sun, in particular in the summer, its stability to cold weather is the characteristic feature. Watering should be regular for substratum maintenance in constantly damp condition, especially during the hottest period of year. It is necessary to avoid over watering the tree for what the deep soil with a porous limy substratum and good drainage gets it out. Because of the slow evolution of the tree adding of nutrients should be moderated. Repoting is made every three — five years only in the early spring.
The Hinoki Cypress needs to be fed biweekly from early spring to mid fall. Be sure to use soil without lime. If necessary, you can add one teaspoon of Epsom salts to the water every three months to provide the foliate needed magnesium. The result will be vibrant blue foliate.

Styling the bonsai

When pruning, it is necessary to delete new superfluous runaways so, that the crone not to be too expanded, and branches were proportional in the sizes. After occurrence of leaves it is recommended not to cut them, but to delete completely, liquidating on 1/3 of all volume of foliage and in regular intervals cleaning from the crone all the dried up leaves. In the autumn for regulation of growth of branches of the first order it is necessary to wire them, trying to keep small leaflets on a tree bark. Keep up, that the wire doesn't stick into the bark. Dismantle fixing design approximately in ten months. Always use your hands, never scissors, which will cause the foliage to turn brown. As far as wiring, the Cypress is generally easy to work with. Just remember that it usually takes some time for the branches to set. Because

of this, you will likely have to rewire more than once to avoid cutting deep into the tree. You can wire the Cypress throughout the year but a common problem is wiring takes the energy out of the tree. Therefore, wait about three to four months to report after you have wired the tree.
To repot your Cypress bonsai, this should be done every three to four years in mid spring for younger trees and then three to five years for the mature trees. When repotting, choose a richer mix if you grow your bonsai in a hot region, which will help keep the soil from drying out.
Now, since this tree is fast growing it is possible that you might need to repot every other year, often removing about one-third to one-half the root mass. You will need to determine the repotting schedule based on your specific tree. In any case, make sure the container used is not too big, which w ould cause problems with the soil remaining too wet.

Illness and wreckers

In a dehydrated medium there can be red soil pincers and wood lice though the most dangerous are illnesses of a fungoid origin, especially whe n pruning works are spent without caring of a sa nitary code. Red soil ticks are deleted by means of the cotton wool sadden with spirit, and then spray the acaricides or insecticides, reducing f or this purpose half a dose and concentration of a solution for usual plants. By means of the same receptions wood lice, but with the use of special insecticides.

The Cypress can have problems with juniper scale. However, a good, organic pesticide will generally keep things under control. Another problem is the bag worm, which will create webs in the dead foliage. Therefore, make sure you use the right product to kill the worm and remove any dead foliage. Read more!