In addition to growing white and black pines, Mr. Iwakiri has a fondness for deciduous trees – chojubai in particular. Japanese flowering quince – chojubai Iwakiri offered some details about how he’s developed these trees. Many of the clump-style specimens are actually bundles of cuttings from the same tree that have grown together for 20-30 years. […]
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White pines from Iwakiri’s garden
Kyushu bonsai enthusiast Mr. Iwakiri has been growing white pine for about as long as he’s been growing black pines. His garden provides plenty of evidence for this. Iwakiri’s pines Triple-trunk white pine Iwakiri reaches for a branch After pointing out a young white pine with a massive trunk, Iwakiri showed us the pot the […]
In praise of colanders
I’ve been growing black pines in colanders for years. Thanks to Bonsai Today issue #20 and Boon Manakitivipart, many enthusiasts have been doing the same. Sizes are convenient, drainage is great, and the cost is reasonable. I have yet to find pots that make it easier to keep black pines healthy. In general, I’ve grown […]
Creating the trunk – charting future growth
Is there a way to determine whether or not my wiring is suitable for creating the bonsai in my mind’s eye? Yes! I learned about it in Mr. Iwakiri’s garden. Iwakiri recommends modeling the trunk line before wiring actual trees. He demonstrated the idea with newspaper and aluminum wire. The idea is to create a […]
A seedling-cutting with too many roots
My recent visit to Japan included a stop at the garden of one Mr. Iwakiri in Miyazaki, Kyushu. Iwakiri has been growing bonsai for more than 40 years and he has a wealth of knowledge on the topic, particularly when it comes to developing black pine. As I mentioned a few weeks ago (see “A […]