I’m excited – tomorrow I’m heading up to the largest bonsai exhibit and sale in Northern California – the Redwood Empire Bonsai Society’s 32nd Annual Show. Coast redwood as displayed at the REBS 29th annual show There are only a handful of events in the area that provide a good opportunity to shop for quality […]
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Yaupon holly cutback
It can take a long time to get a tree into rough shape, especially when making primary branches from scratch. Refining from takes even longer. Now that my Yaupon holly has the basic silhouette I had in mind for it, the current goal is to create more mature looking branch pads. This is done through selective […]
Portland Japanese Garden
On a recent trip to Oregon I had a chance to visit the Portland Japanese Garden. Set in the hills overlooking Portland – not far from the museum hosting next month’s Artisans Cup – the garden is well worth a visit. On the day I visited the weather was perfect. Sunlight through Japanese maple foliage Designed in 1963, […]
The study of bonsai design
This month’s Bay Island Bonsai meeting focused on bonsai design. Members brought trees for critique and designed trees on paper. Both exercises focus on the criteria we use to design attractive bonsai and help to refine the stylistic sensibilities that inform the decisions we make when we work on our trees. The critique also provided […]
A novel way to find the lifeline
Earlier this week I heard a strange sound at a BIB workshop. It came from this thing. Moisture sensor John Thompson purchased the device to locate moisture that seeps through carpets but found that it can be used to detect lifelines too. Where there’s moisture, the device sounds. Where the wood has died, the machine […]