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 […]
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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 […]
An approach to fertilizer and water quality
When I started growing bonsai, fertilizing was simple. I sprinkled cottonseed meal on the surface of the soil and watered with fish emulsion every few weeks. Applying fish emulsion (circa 2010) This approach worked well for years, up until rodents began stealing the fertilizer and digging up the soil. I needed to make a change. […]
Highlights from the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum’s Chinese Pavilion
Imagine you’re in charge of maintaining the trees in the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum’s Chinese Pavilion. Your experience is with bonsai, but from a Western perspective. You begin with a tree like the black pine below. Japanese black pine The tree appears to have been trained as a literati, or bunjin bonsai, but it’s […]
A visit to the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum
I spent World Bonsai Day at the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum in Washington, D.C. this year – a fitting location for the event! It had been many years since my last visit to the museum which made it really fun to see how the trees had changed. It was also an opportunity to see […]