A visit to Gordon Deeg’s garden

Gordon Deeg is a familiar name to Northern California bonsai enthusiasts. He has served more positions in more bonsai organizations than I can count. A former Chairman of the Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt, Gordon is now its Garden Master and a teacher at its bonsai school.

Gordon is also responsible for another impressive bonsai garden – his own. I had the chance to visit during Sei Boku Bonsai Kai’s annual barbecue and was amazed by its depth and breadth. Gordon has the usual varieties like pine, juniper, maple and azalea, and he has just as many less-common varieties including cryptomeria, pomegranate, styrax and needle juniper.

Needle juniper

White pine

Ficus

Gordon’s garden includes a number of California junipers with great deadwood.

California juniper

California juniper

California juniper

California juniper

Gordon loves black pines.

Japanese black pine – trunk detail

But his garden has plenty of deciduous varieties too, including the cork bark Japanese maple below.

Cork bark Japanese maple

Cork bark Japanese maple – trunk detail

Japanese maple

Trident maple

Japanese maple grove

Stay tuned – more from Gordon’s garden later this week.