This is one of the exposed root black pines I started in 1994. This is the one tree of that group that I’ve planned on keeping for some time now. Of the 50+ I started, I now only have 3. Front – before Front – after Left side – before After Right side – before […]
Search Results for: pine
Recent pine work
This is one of the pines I started from seed in 1994. Most of these trees were grown as exposed root style, but a few ended up more conventionally shaped. A few years ago I cut it back to one branch and one bud – these remaining shoots have developed quickly. Front Back Left Right […]
A visit to Masahiko Kimura’s garden
One of the most anticipated stops on our tour this year was a visit to Kimura’s garden. The section that’s open to the public is relatively small and almost exclusively filled with pines and junipers. The most famous of these is a shimpaku named Toryu no mai (“Dance of the Ascending Dragon”). Shimpaku – Toryu […]
Taisho-en: the garden of Taiga Urushibata
Among the handful of gardens I’m happy to visit every time I go to Japan, Taisho-en is a favorite. World-class trees. World-class work. Taisho-en is managed by Taiga Urushibata. His father, Nobuichi Urushibata, was a prominent shohin professional. Taiga, who apprenticed with Masahiko Kumura, is well-known for working on trees of all sizes. Walking among […]
A snapshot of Shunka-en bonsai garden
One of the most common stops on bonsai tours in Japan is Shunka-en, the garden of Kunio Kobayashi. By car or train it’s about 20 minutes east of Ueno Park, home to the Kokufu exhibit, in Edogawa. I first visited Shunka-en, or “spring flower garden,” twenty-seven years ago. Since that trip, the garden has changed […]