The American Bonsai Society and the Bonsai Society of Greater St. Louis hosted Gateway to Bonsai this past weekend in Collinsville, Illinois. The event drew visitors from all over the country – and a few from outside the U.S. – who enjoyed a good selection of workshops, seminars, and demonstrations. In between the scheduled events, attendees had […]
Search Results for: pine
Protecting bonsai from hail damage
Here’s a topic I never planned to address – protecting bonsai from hail damage. As most readers know far better than I do, hail can quickly damage bonsai – especially deciduous varieties with foliage that has yet to harden off. Upon realizing that it was hailing yesterday morning, I ran outside and grabbed my smaller […]
Novel displays at Bonsai Society of San Francisco’s annual exhibit
You know it’s a good day when a bonsai display makes you do a double take. Slant-style spruce Yep, the tree is sitting on a sheet of glass. Better yet, the glass is supported – balanced no less – by two grooved wood slats. Spruce display by Eric Schrader The display is part of the Bonsai […]
Spring watering tips
Spring is my favorite time of year in the garden. It’s also a rather challenging season when it comes to watering. Without checking the soil, it can be hard to tell how much water a tree needs at a glance. Take, for example, the two young junipers below. Cutting-grown kishu shimpaku For the past week, I’ve been […]
Bonsai Development Series #6: Sacrifice branch basics
Few trees in my garden better demonstrate the use of sacrifice branches than the pine below. Black pine – six-years-old from seedling-cutting The large branch that grows up and to the right is the sacrifice branch. The small tree at the base of this branch is the future bonsai. The future bonsai As I noted […]