Ryan Neil is well known for his work on collected junipers. His garden reflects this – among the many outstanding specimens at Bonsai Mirai, it’s the junipers that shine brightest. Part of this is due to the natural characters of junipers, some of the more sinuous varieties grown for bonsai. Much of this is due to Ryan’s […]
Excursions
Excursion posts feature visits to bonsai gardens in the U.S. and in Japan, visits to the Kyoto's Most Renown Gardens, and trips into the mountains to see junipers and pines in their natural setting.
Amazing pines at Bonsai Mirai
I’ve been thinking about how to introduce Ryan Neil’s garden and school, Bonsai Mirai, and have decided to let the trees speak for themselves. Enjoy 🙂 Ponderosa pine Ryan Neil telling the story of the first tree he collected Limber pine Mountain hemlock Douglass fir Ponderosa pine Douglas fir Ponderosa pine Ponderosa pine Ponderosa pine Limber […]
The Portland bonsai tour continues
I’m always surprised at how lush and green spring is around Portland when the dogwood, rhododendron and hawthorns are in full bloom. Driving between bonsai gardens in the area provided ample opportunity to enjoy the season. Even more striking is the amount of collected material in the area. Visiting bonsai gardens in Oregon means seeing […]
A visit to brendenstudio
In 2002, I visited the Bonsai Society of Dallas convention featuring Masahiko Kimura. The event’s exhibit included a composition that got a lot more attention than the others. Thirteen years later, I spotted the same composition in its creator’s garden. Shimpaku planted on shovel supported by cinder block The artist is Greg Brenden. You may know of Greg […]
A visit to Michael Hagedorn’s garden
On a recent tour to Oregon, Eric Schrader and I had the opportunity to visit Michael Hagedorn’s garden. It was quite a treat. The garden is filled with trees on the fast path to becoming awesome bonsai. Collected material – many from the Pacific Northwest – and deciduous varieties like chojubai fill many of the benches. Long-term […]