Last weekend wrapped up the first Bay Area Suiseki and Shohin Show. Held at the Lake Merritt Garden Center in Oakland, California, the event was sponsored by the San Francisco Suiseki Kai, California Suiseki Society, Bay Area Shohin Society, California Shohin Society and members of other Bay Area bonsai clubs. Today we’ll look at a […]
Bonsai Blog
Search
(Enter search terms and press 'Enter')
Recent Posts
Early branch work on large cork oak bonsai
Creating branches on cork oak bonsai can be a fun process. I wire the shoots that will form the primary branches and remove all other shoots. Instead of wiring the branches all the way out to the tips, I focus on creating one or two curves near the trunk as I plan to reduce these […]
Sierra wildflowers – nature’s accent plants
My recent visit to the Sierra Nevada coincided with wildflower season this year. It was a great reminder of how natural it is to pair trees with companion plants that grow nearby. Here are some of the flowers and succulents I found among the junipers. If you know their names, feel free to share them […]
A natural semi-cascade juniper
I had made several visits to the Sierra junipers around Carson Pass before I first saw the giant semi-cascade. It was pretty awesome. Natural semi-cascade style Sierra juniper Much of the deadwood on this tree is a bright white color that makes a nice contrast to the reddish live veins. A strip of bright white […]
Appreciating a massive, and ancient, Sierra juniper
One of my favorite Sierra junipers doesn’t fit neatly into any categories. It’s form is somewhere between informal upright and semi-cascade. The base of the trunk is massive, but the apical foliage extends from a slender, twisting branch. I can’t say I’ve figured the tree out, but I enjoy trying. Ancient Sierra juniper The tree […]