Late June through mid-July marks the end of the decandling season in my area. This means it’s time to start working on the smaller pines in my garden. The tree below is sixteen-years-old. It grew strong this spring which is a reflection of the fact that the tree is still young and not fully ramified. […]
Shohin
Kokufu 101: shohin
Today I’d like to share a single tip for styling shohin bonsai – focus on branch density. As you look at photos of shohin displayed at this year’s Kokufu exhibit, you’ll notice that all of the trees are full. There’s a good reason for this. Because the trees are displayed in groups, it makes sense […]
Evergreen highlights and displays from the 17th Shohin Seminar
Junipers and pines were the most common evergreen species at the California Shohin Society’s 17th biennial Seminar exhibition. Here are a few that were display. Japanese black pine Shimpaku juniper Shimpaku juniper Exposed root black pine Kinzu Juniper Cork-bark black pine Cypress I only have a few photos of the displays themselves. Most of the […]
Deciduous highlights at the 2020 California Shohin Seminar
Last weekend the California Shohin Society hosted the 17th Biennial Shohin Seminar in Santa Nella, California. The event is about as fun as bonsai events can be. Friday features demonstrations, attendees participate in workshops on Saturday, and Sunday features shohin-themed lectures or demonstrations. I spoke about shohin development techniques Sunday morning and Kathy Shaner provided […]
Thinning shohin Japanese maple
Creating branch ramification on shohin Japanese maples doesn’t happen quickly. After three years of producing short internodes, the tree is now ready for cutback to improve the silhouette and branch structure. (You can see the progress to date here.) Before I started pruning, I removed the old leaves. Shohin Japanese maple After removing the leaves […]