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A visit to John Thompson’s garden

July 30, 2021 by Jonas Dupuich

If you’re a fan of oak bonsai, you’ve likely heard of John “JT” Thompson. For those who don’t know JT, he’s one of the most generous bonsai teachers in the San Francisco Bay Area.

I’d seen JT’s trees in exhibits for years but I hadn’t seen his collection until last week when I visited to record an interview with him for the Bonsai Wire Podcast. Before we sat down to chat, JT showed me some of his favorite oaks.

John Thompson

John “JT” Thompson

Right off the bat, JT called attention to a basic decision we have when styling oaks – whether to style the trees like oaks or like bonsai.

Here’s a cork oak styled in a relatively traditional bonsai form.

Cork oak

Cork oak

The trunk has gentle movement and most of the branches grow outward or slightly down on the lower half of the trunk. This is a common approach for trees that fit the pattern of one of the basic bonsai styles.

An alternative approach to styling oaks is to reproduce a more oak-like structure. The cork oak below is an example of this approach.

Cork oak

Cork oak

The trunk has gentle curves, but instead of supporting slender, descending branches, the trunk splits into smaller trunks (or vertical branches) that grow up and out – a pattern commonly seen in mature cork oaks growing in the landscape.

We have the same basic choices when we style other oak species. The coast live oak, for example, is well-known for its meandering trunks and branches. As a result, it’s common to incorporate meandering branches into coast live oak bonsai whether the goal is to create a tree that is more oak-like or more bonsai-like.

Coast live oak

Informal upright coast live oak

Coast live oak

Semi-cascade coast live oak

Coast live oak

Semi-cascade coast live oak with slender, meandering branches

One of JT’s more massive coast live oaks, still early in its training, is taking on a characteristic oak-like form with the branches splitting off the main trunk and rising upward and outward.

Coast live oak

Coast live oak

JT also showed off some of the more interesting oaks in his collection, including a few species that are rarely grown as bonsai.

Canyon oak

Canyon oak

Valley oak

Valley oak

Mount Tabor oak

Mount Tabor oak

Chinese cork oak

Chinese cork oak

Emory oak

Emory oak

After enjoying the garden, JT and I recorded a conversation in which JT shared his approach to oaks and the story of how he got started in bonsai. If you’re looking for tips on growing oak bonsai, check out the recent episode of the Bonsai Wire Podcast.

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Filed Under: Excursions Tagged With: Coast Live Oak, Cork Oak

Previous Post: « Searching for the front of a broom-style zelkova
Next Post: Initial cutback on a coast live oak – and Tree Sale! »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Mark Paris says

    July 30, 2021 at 9:15 am

    Love John’s oaks

  2. Alain K. says

    July 30, 2021 at 9:22 am

    Oak bonsai is not very frequent, so thanks for posting these top of the shelf specimens, and kudos on “JT”.

    • Jonas Dupuich says

      July 31, 2021 at 12:28 pm

      Thanks, Alain – will try to feature more fun species in the future!

  3. Kevin Benik says

    July 30, 2021 at 11:15 am

    Your photography is always superb, love these pieces.

    • Jonas Dupuich says

      July 31, 2021 at 12:28 pm

      Thanks, Kevin!

  4. Lowell R Tilley says

    July 30, 2021 at 11:47 am

    Some great oak bonsai. I have some, but not as good as yours. Please call or text me, I would like to learn more.

    • Jonas Dupuich says

      July 31, 2021 at 12:27 pm

      Thanks, Lowell – will do!

  5. Julien says

    August 2, 2021 at 4:39 pm

    Lovely oak bonsai. I am a beginner and I am working on my own maple bonsai, so excited to learn about bonsai. Also reading the little book of bonsai learning lots

    • Jonas Dupuich says

      August 2, 2021 at 7:52 pm

      Thanks, Julien – good luck with your maple!

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