Boxwood bonsai

And here’s the branch that’s now a semi-cascade boxwood bonsai.

Boxwood and suiseki

I’ll bet a number of the trees in the exhibit have equally compelling stories. The trick is talking to club members to learn about them. I’ve yet to visit an exhibit that published the juicy tidbits, but I’d love to do so. We’ve thought providing stories of intrigue in the Bay Island Bonsai exhibit program, but have yet to follow through. It would require a lot of up front effort, but could help visitors learn more about why the trees mean so much to us. The best effort I’ve seen in this area is the guide to the GSBF’s Lake Merritt Bonsai Garden. It’s a great starting point that can encourage us to share our trees’ stories. More on that later.

Jay McDonald keeps the show trees from drying out at BABA’s 28 annual show.

]]> http://bonsaitonight.com/2010/03/19/bonsai-stories/feed/ 2 xwires http://bonsaitonight.com/2010/01/12/bonsai-tonight-a-history/ http://bonsaitonight.com/2010/01/12/bonsai-tonight-a-history/#comments Tue, 12 Jan 2010 16:00:30 +0000 xwires http://bonsaitonight.com/?p=798 ]]> Spring, 2004. A number of SOBs (Students of Boon) sat around Boon’s workshop on a sunny day sharing gossip – good gossip – about bonsai professionals around the world. We hit upon an idea, an alternative to Bonsai Today. It would be a website for anonymous posts of gossip, hearsay and in-jokes. Photos welcome, no holds barred. And somewhere out of the din came the phrase, “Bonsai Tonight.” I can’t say for sure whether it was first uttered by Marco Invernizzi, Howard Smith or myself. I ran inside and purchased the domain without skipping a beat.

The following winter a handy photographer – thank you Sylvia – captured a few shots of us setting up BIB’s 6th annual exhibit. They were intended as a kick-off for the “Bonsai Tonight” we had discussed the previous year.

Howard combats wrinkles while Mike finds humor in hand-held steamers

I’m now one year into a very different Bonsai Tonight. Last January, time and desire came together and I made a first post. Soon after, I had the great fortune to return to Japan which led to many more. The year’s most popular post and photo came from a visit to Taikan Bonsai Museum in Obuse, Japan. It’s a truly outstanding garden.

Taikan Bonsai Museum

I find, however, that I remain inspired by the lighter side of bonsai as well.

A Windy Day, or, The Fastest Bonsai in the West

Thanks for reading. I’m optimistic for the new year and am looking forward to sharing as much of it in bonsai as possible.

Cheers,
Jonas

]]> http://bonsaitonight.com/2010/01/12/bonsai-tonight-a-history/feed/ 3 xwires Fastest juniper in the west http://bonsaitonight.com/2010/01/01/age-character-and-beauty/ http://bonsaitonight.com/2010/01/01/age-character-and-beauty/#comments Fri, 01 Jan 2010 10:00:32 +0000 xwires http://bonsaitonight.com/?p=771 ]]> January has always been one of my favorite times of the year for bonsai. Full of repotting and show prep, wiring and cutback, the month entails some of the hardest and most rewarding work of the year. It also fills me with optimism for all of the bonsai work the year will bring.

For all of this, I’m grateful. Bonsai has enriched my life and led me on wonderful adventures around the world. Through it, I have made lasting friendships and learned to appreciate some of the more subtle beauties nature has to offer. I expect this year will be no different.

Years ago, I came across a flyer that provided a good summary of what makes a bonsai special. Age, character, and beauty, it asserted. I’ve used the definition often. If a tree lacks age, it cannot demonstrate its relationship to the environment. If it lacks character, there is nothing to distinguish it from the next tree on the bench. And if it lacks beauty, whether the elegance gained over time or the heart-rending tenacity that keeps it alive, the tree will fail to move us.

Full of age, character, and beauty, the Bristlecone Pines never fail to move me. The following grow along the Discovery Trail in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest.

One of the more famous trees along the trail. It lived for over 3,000 years.

It’s neighbor is still alive – it too has celebrated more than 3,000 new years.

John next to a huge Bristlecone pine.

Maybe the most photographed branch in the grove. The natural twists are outstanding.

A proud tree on the west edge of the grove.

Two Bristlecones catching last light.

Planning, it turns out, only gets you so far in bonsai. The final decisions about what will or won’t be shown depend, in large part, on how good the trees look at exhibit time. This is why many of the great shows, like Kokufu, are juried a matter of weeks before the actual event. For the most part we have a good idea of what trees will make it into our exhibit well ahead of time, but there are always surprises as the event draws near.

I’m now considering showing up to four trees this year: a maple, a juniper, and two pines. I can’t yet say which will make the cut. Beginning tomorrow, I’ll be working on each in an attempt to get them show ready. This will entail a bit of wiring, plucking, cutback and repotting.

Trident maple

I’ve shown the trident maple above on a couple of occasions, most recently in 2005, but the other three trees have yet to be shown. As deciduous trees aren’t typically shown with wire, preparing the maple will include the usual cutback, cleanup and repotting, but it won’t, thankfully, include wiring.

Pines, on the other hand, can show well with wire. How to know when to wire and when to pass? That’s a good question that can make for wonderful debate when the tree in question is ancient and shows loads of character. When the tree is young, like the the 15 year-old specimen below, it’s harder to get away with sloppy branch placement. I’ll start by pulling extraneous needles and then see what else is needed. With or without additional wire, the tree will benefit greatly from a more appropriate pot.

Japanese black pine

A fellow BIB member and I split a juniper several years ago and I ended up with the half pictured below. Another way of putting it: the owner of the other half of the tree realized that his half would be better off without the bit you see below.  It’s been a fun project.

Western juniper

The corkbark pine below previously belonged to the late Mas Imazumi – a very prominent and much missed teacher who popularized bonsai around the U.S. for decades. I’ve been returning the tree to its former vigor over the past few years and was happy to see that it filled in well this summer. I don’t know if I can get it ready for show this time around, but I expect it won’t be too much longer if it doesn’t go in this year.

Japanese black pine – corkbark

For years, I’ve been particularly opinionated about which trees belong in BIB’s exhibit and which trees don’t. Despite Boon’s encouragements, a number of us have repeatedly turned down requests to show our trees for fear that they just aren’t ready. After years of maintaining a hard line on the topic, I’m beginning to soften a bit. Not about what makes for quality trees, but about which trees are ready for exhibit. In a “perfect” world, with benches overflowing with outstanding trees, yes, I’d be happy to uphold rigorous standards. But in our world, a world rife with opportunities to improve our trees, I’m warming to Boon’s mantra of, “Show it one way this year – we’ll improve it and show it another way next time.” At least, that’s what I’m telling myself about this year’s candidates.

Growing bonsai from seed is a somewhat selfless act as the next generation will benefit more from our work than we will.  That said, growing trees from seed can be a lot of fun. Growing up in a family that maintains a retail nursery has instilled in me an appreciation for the horticultural side of bonsai. And as pine has been a life-long favorite of mine, it’s only been natural to grow them from seed.

I’ll admit – I was very fortunate to start a batch of pine seedlings my first year in bonsai. For that I owe thanks to Boon. And to Bonsai Tonight issues #12 and #20. For anyone considering growing black pine from seed I highly recommend getting your hands on these issues as they’re full of good advice on the topic.

The first step is finding pine cones. Fortunately, Japanese black pines are popular landscape trees. The trick is finding a good specimen. Things to look for: needle quality, bud density, and bark.

After finding a good specimen, stop by in October when the cones mature. I collected the cones below a few weeks ago. Upon returning to the same tree this afternoon, I noticed that almost all of the remaining cones had opened – meaning that I’d be waiting until next year before harvesting more cones.

Pine cones – Japanese black pine

Try for larger cones rather than smaller, and cones from more vigorous branches rather than those from weaker ones. Experience has shown that the more robust the cone, the better the seeds inside.

Typical pine cone

After bringing the cones home, give them a quick bath in a highly diluted lime-sulfur solution to kill any fungus or pests that might be living amongst the cones. Then set the cones out to dry.

Cleaned and ready to dry

Soil sifters, it turns out, make great cone-drying trays. Place the cones in the sifter, then cover them with an additional screen to keep the birds away. Don’t place the cones too close together as they’ll expand when they open up.

Protected from birds

If you haven’t done this before, I recommend collecting more cones than you think are necessary. While some produce a handful of viable seeds, others produce none. I also start many more pines than I want to end up with. Even when growing seedlings from an outstanding source, it’s not certain that all offspring will be as impressive as the parent. Starting a few more than you need is a good way to hedge your bets.

Shore juniper – medium size

Rick, the tree’s owner, has been developing the tree for a number of years from a landscape shrub. The deadwood on the trunk is excellent – I’ve included pictures from several sides below.

Deadwood detail

Deadwood detail

Deadwood detail

Rick deserves credit for his work on this tree and for his collection in general. As does his wife, Janet. The two maintain an impressive collection that’s featured in this month’s Bonsai Focus (5/2009 #123). If you haven’t seen it, I suggest you check it out. Look carefully and you’ll see this tree in at least two of the photos.

Looking closely at the grain of this exposed wood reveals minute subtleties of shape and texture – the result, in part, of characteristics inherent to the wood itself.

When we create deadwood on our trees through carving and other techniques we inscribe a story directly onto the tree. The more compelling the carving, the more compelling the story. This is where quality comes in.

I’m impressed when bonsai artists quickly carve up deadwood with power tools. I’m more impressed when they do it well. Creating shapes not found in nature, working unevenly from branch to branch or haphazardly crossing the grain can belie a tree’s nature and create an incongruous story that yields more dissonance than harmony. Carefully thought out and well-executed carving can trigger our imagination by suggesting a more plausible story for a tree.

Michael Hagedorn relates an anecdote about natural deadwood in his account of life as an apprentice, Post Dated: The Schooling of an Irreverent Bonsai Monk. Barely able to contain his excitement about a tree that was new to his garden, Shinji Suzuki encouraged his students to name the “best point” of the tree:

Tachi hesitated, and said, “Ubu?” “YES!” said Mr. Suzuki. “This tree has never seen a carving tool – it could never have been improved by one.” Ubu (as if just born, innocent) is a very special, rare quality in an old bonsai that Mr. Suzuki is particularly fond of impressing on us. Still his excitement grew. “Michael! Michael!” he repeated, grinning at the tree and prancing around it, “Tachi! TACHI! There ARE no such trees, this is the very apex of bonsai, a true Major Leaguer! (36)

Natural deadwood is a vehicle for nature’s story. Carved deadwood, and to some degree the whole practice of bonsai, is our vehicle.

Here are a few photos of pine deadwood found along the Mt. Whitney trail.

Limber pine deadwood

Lodgepole pine deadwood

Lodgepole pine deadwood

Lodgepole pine deadwood

Halfway there – Jeff and Boon convert force to grace

Jeff thought otherwise. I don’t know if he had a plan in mind when he acquired this tree, but he saw something that others didn’t. Maybe he saw the opportunity to do some carving and put jackie to use – a fun way to spend any workshop.

I look forward to seeing how the tree turns out – and I hope I recognize it when the time comes!

Exposed-root Japanese black pine

When these pines were 3 or 4 months old I cut their tap-roots to make seedling-cuttings. It was a very sensitive time for the trees as they had no roots to help them through the warmest time of summer. And as I spent July and August in Greece and Turkey that year, I had to rely on family to provide the frequent misting they required. I remember returning from the ruins at Sunion one evening excited to call home not to share my adventure or inquire about my family but to find out how the pines were doing. Fortunately there were in great hands.

Exposed-root Japanese black pine

It was heartening to find that I harbor no regrets about parting with these trees. It can be hard to appreciate the changes our trees go through when we see them all the time. Seeing trees every few years can make for wonderful surprises.  And while I may not get to see these trees as often as I’d like, I do appreciate the surprises.

Future shohin Japanese black pine

The majority of my five-year-old pines had candles and cones like the following:

Tree #1

The candles had begun to elongate but very little green was showing. Needles on other trees were further along:

Tree #2

In this case I believe genetics accounts for most of the differences. The needles of tree #2 are farther away from each other than normal and they angle outward a bit more than normal. As each seedling is unique I expect this level of variation between trees.

Some of my more developed trees were much further along. The photo below is of a candle on a 15-year old pine, ten years older than the trees above and potted in a much shallower pot:

Tree #3

Why such a difference? Two items stand out. First, tree #3 wasn’t repotted this year. I’ve found that nothing slows down growth more than repotting, especially if the repotting is done late in the season. Second, tree #3 received more fertilizer than trees #1 & #2 over the past 12 months.

I try, each year, to repot my pines before they start moving, but invariably I finish after some candles have started moving. And while repotting a bit late can slow growth, repotting very late can inhibit all growth for a season. A number of years ago I repotted a few pines in May that didn’t move until the following year. No branches were lost, but the resulting growth pattern was funky.

Repotting late also cuts into your fertilizing. I usually wait 24-30 days after repotting before fertilizing. For black pines, repotting late cuts out a crucial month of fertilizing that can help trees recover from decandling. And for trees in development it cuts out fertalizer when the trees are most active. Much better to repot early and fertalize as much as possible.

Despite all this pine activity, there’s not a whole lot of work to do before decandling season. Breaking candles can be appropriate to help balance more developed trees, but for young trees I generally want all the growth I can get. Except for pine cones.

Young pine cones

Many of my young trees developed pine cones this year. As soon as they are big enough to pluck I remove then with a twist of my fingers – ideally just before they get as big as the ones pictured above.

Most of these cones are purple, however, this year I noticed that I have a tree with yellow-green cones. I don’t believe there’s anything special about this, but the cones do look cool:

Yellow-green pine cones

Pine cones can be a sign of stress on a tree, but generally not when vigorous growth is present. More indicative of stress is the presence of copious male flowers coupled with a lack of new growth. When trees sense they aren’t doing well they tend to throw what energy they have left into reproductive functions. I don’t worry about the cone to candle ratio below as the candles are quite large. That said, if I’d repotted earlier – and left more roots intact – these candles would be much further along.

Male “cones” or “flowers”

A sign of vigorous growth – and a far more exciting find in the garden – is the presence of compound candles:

Vigorous new growth

This tree exhibits several characteristics that are great for bonsai: vigor, density and straightness of needles, needles that grow close to the base of the candle, and dense budding habits. I’ll be tempted to let its cones mature some day as I’m interested in seeing if its seedlings exhibit the same characteristics.

Pine cones most commonly develop at the tips of candles, but it’s not always the case. It’s worth inspecting your trees closely for rogue cones:

One last place to check

After removing all of the cones at the tips of the candles I noticed that I’d neglected to remove several cones growing at the base of the new candles – or the tips of last year’s candles – where I’d usually expect to find male and not female cones growing.

Aha! a hidden pine cone.

I only found these on a few trees, but the find led me to more closely inspect all of my pines – always a good thing in the constant search for critters and subtle clues to the trees’ health.