A visit to the GSBF Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt this spring will reveal an intriguing bonsai technique – paper-wrapped bonsai wire. I learned about the technique from the garden’s curator, Kathy Shaner, not long after she completed her apprenticeship to Yasuo Mitsuya in Toyohashi, Japan. Copper wire is more commonly used on conifers than […]
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.
GSBF Collection North
After visiting the GSBF Mammoth Fundraiser last weekend, I stopped by the Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt. Spring is a great time to visit the garden as the quince are in bloom and the maples are just starting to leaf out. It’s also a good time of year to see the blooms that make the […]
GSBF Mammoth Fundraiser 2011
Last weekend the Golden State Bonsai Federation (GSBF) held simultaneous fundraisers in support of its Northern and Southern California bonsai collections. In Northern California, the GSBF held an auction Saturday and a bonsai bazaar on Sunday. I’ve always been a fan of bonsai auctions. I’ve participated in them as a buyer, a seller, and a […]
Maruyama Bonsai Nursery
Maruyama Bonsai Nursery 1423 47th Avenue Sacramento, CA 95822 (916) 421-6888 yuzomaruyama at aol dot com I received a tip last week that Maruyama Bonsai Nursery had a cryptomeria I might be interested in. Finding myself in the neighborhood over Thanksgiving weekend, I stopped by to take a look. Maruyama Bonsai Nursery It had been […]
Tropical bonsai at the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum
The National Bonsai and Penjing Museum in Washington D.C. contains a number of bonsai that need far more warmth and humidity than D.C. winters can provide. They are housed in a greenhouse at the museum where they are currently thriving despite the impending cold weather. I’ve included photos of several below along with a few […]