Late fall through early winter is show season in Japan. Depending on how many trees a bonsai professional has to show – or sell – October through February can be a busy time. Within just three weeks, I helped with trees bound for four different events. Show preparation can entail anything from needle plucking to […]
Search Results for: pine
Million dollar bonsai
There was a lot of talk about a large white pine at the 11th Asia-Pacific Bonsai and Suiseki Convention & Exhibition (ASPAC 2011) offered for 100,000,000 yen. At today’s exchange rate, that’s close to 1.3 million dollars. Million dollar bonsai The tree was offered by S-CUBE, the bonsai organization headed by Seiji Morimae. The tree […]
Youkakai – 8 Auction
The barker calls bids before a small crowd on a patch of dirt on a bright day in Inazawa, Aichi-ken. Lots speed by at a rate of two per minute. The trees are going fast. Youkakai Youkakai, or 8th day auction, is a local event held on the 8th day of each month at Kouyo-en. The […]
New bonsai tool – dish soap
When bonsai exhibits come around, bonsai enthusiasts love moss. They drive around town with their eyes on gutters and puddles in hopes of finding patches that can be scraped up and used as top dressing for their trees. But when moss grows into pine bark, the story changes. The goal is to find a way […]
East Bay Bonsai Society’s 50th Anniversary Bonsai Show
The East Bay Bonsai Society hosted their 50th Anniversary Bonsai Show at the Lakeside Garden Center in Oakland, California, on October 8th and 9th. The show featured a workshop, demonstration and critique by Kathy Shaner, sales and vendor areas, and plenty of bonsai and suiseki. The show program included a history of “The First 50 […]