The 21st Gomangoku, Daiju-en’s annual bonsai exhibit in Okazaki, Aichi, featured some great Japanese black pines. The Suzuki family, and the apprentices who studied with them, are well known for their pine work. Getting to see the trees up close, to carry them, study them, and think about them, was a great experience. I’ve long […]
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A twisting black pine
The back pine below appeared on the turntable and I was asked to make the tree “more beautiful.” What an unusual tree! Twisted pine Before looking very closely, I immediately got to work plucking old needles. That gave me a chance to study the tree and let me put off figuring out what to do […]
Wiring a large Japanese black pine
As summer growth hardens on Japanese black pines, the time comes to pluck needles, cut extra shoots and wire branches that need moving. I recently worked on the black pine below with Boon Manakitivipart at the Shinpukuji Temple near Okazaki in Aichi, Japan. Black pine in Fall I’m used to doing fall work on Japanese […]
When not to work on a white pine
I brought the white pine below to an Akio Kondo workshop this past August. The tree looked much like it does now but the old needles had yet to turn brown. New growth had appeared much like it had the year before, and I had prepared to spend an afternoon wiring the tree. Kondo took […]
Decandling before and after – red pine forest
Decandling is a great technique for improving ramification or for maintaining it. What little ramification my red pine forest has can be attributed to a few years of decandling. I don’t currently have any plans to further develop the trunks in this forest, so the branches are getting all of my attention. Here is the […]