Author: Farrand

Workshop
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The big picture

Follow Martin Nielsen as he takes a simple tree to a bonsai with character It’s a quite an ordinary tree, a locally collected larch of around 70 cm in height, with a trunk thickness of...

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Technique
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A corky type

The challenge is to create bonsai from scratch How to create bonsai from cuttings, grafting and other methods using interesting and unusual species. With the help of illustrations we will see how to take a...

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Shohin
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Prickly situation

Jean-Philippe Hoareau (JP) works with the prickly juniper The needle juniper or Juniperus rigida, is a far more rugged tree than the Chinese ‘shimpaku’. Its deadwood is spikier and so is its foliage, too. You...

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Styling
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Is it just one blob of green?

Manuel Germade re-styles an Itoigawa juniper This very compact juniper, grafted with Itoigawa foliage, has grown out of proportion. The shape of the trunk with its deadwood is very attractive. The main task for Manuel...

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Free
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Wearing my signature

The bonsai passion of Jörg Derlien Styling and care for the tree should fit together like a hand in a glove, according to Jörg Derlien I bought a few seeds and pots, but this went […]

Styling
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Is this worth spending time ?

Prunus spinosa/blackthorn as bonsai Harry Harrington explores the virtues of the blackthorn with its white flowers contrasting beautifully against its dark black bark Prunus spinosa is a tree species native to the UK and Northern […]

Case History
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I will burn all my trees

François Jeker’s 31-year-journey growing a bonsai forest When we make a bonsai forest, we think we are the Creator. We are under the illusion that we decide everything, the choice of the trees and their...

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Technique
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Is this too right?

The challenge is to create a finished tree starting from scratch Here’s how to make bonsai with rare, interesting and promising species through the process of taking cuttings. The complete process, from selecting the material...

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Styling
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Why does he want to break free

Massimo Bandera wants to work unhindered by convention For Massimo Bandera bonsai is very much an art form. The bonsai artist should be free from conventions and rules. In the process of creating an extraordinary...

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Shohin
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The shohin geisha’s

The meaning and thought behind the display of shohin, or Seki-kazari Morten Albek takes time to go through some of the shohin displays from the World Bonsai Convention in Japan, held in spring of 2017....

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Masterclass
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Can Kimura dance with a shari?

Masahiko Kimura rearranges the foliage around a dancing shari Exploring the artistic sensitivity of Mr Kimura, we take a look at the material he will work on. The transformation is not tremendously dramatic, however the...

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Technique
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A wooden base?

A practical case study of trident maple by Andrea Meriggioli Andrea: I want to show you how correct timing and techniques may turn initially poor material into a good tree you can work on over...

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Styling
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Intimidated by its age

François Jeker styles a venerable 500-year-old Buxus ‘When about to style an impressive old Buxus like this, you are so intimidated that you approach it with trembling hands . . . Over the years, though,...

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Styling
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How to ‘crack’ a white pine

Masayuki Fujikawa transforms a white pine by changing the angle and compacting an elongated trunk. One of the best characteristics of this tree is the aged appearance of the bark, making it look as though...

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Propagating
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A good omen

It is a deciduous tree of the Fagaceae family and grows naturally in the mountains of various parts of Japan, also on the coastline on the side of the Sea of Japan. The oak’s local...

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Shohin
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The new big

Koji Hiramatsu works on a black pine Shohin and the slightly larger Kifu-sized bonsai have become ever more popular. This because they are much easier to enjoy and appreciate compared with the larger trees and...

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Summer
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Repot, or not?

When we acquire plants or young tree material, we plant them in pots to let them develop further to allow them to adjust to growing conditions at home. But what do we do when we...

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Spring
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A fruitful day

How to pollinate flowering bonsai Under the guidance of Hiroki Miura, Japanese popstar Ayaka Yamamoto tries her luck with fruiting fruit-bearing trees. The fruit of a tree is not always produced when it flowers. If...

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Summer
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Growth never stops

Maintenance work on a mountain cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) During summer you need to deal with the dead leaves formed inside the branches of this very dense-growing conifer. They are removed to prevent ‘stuffiness’. This is...

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Technique
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Like Frankenstein?

Shigeo Ebihara’s unbelievable method of trunk shortening This operation on an old maple took more than four and a half years to complete. The tree has one major fault that is impossible to solve using...

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Case History
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The tree with no name

Nacho Marín works on a tree giving both power and delicacy This tree variety with its special forms shaped by nature and the large amount of deadwood juxtaposing with its delicate foliage, has been Nacho’s...

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Garden visit
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The Green Temple

A greenhouse with only saikei forest and rock landscapes Saikai is an interpretation of landscapes in miniature. Master gardener Karl-Härtl and his son Florian create this art form with native shrubs and perennials. At their...

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Technique
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Kengai

How to make a cascade-style bonsai A kengai or cascade is inspired by trees found in harsh mountainous conditions, growing on rocky cliffs. It is this which makes it one of the most dramatic and...

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Free
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Small imperfections

The bonsai passion of Francesco Santini Francesco learned bonsai from an early age. He has a veryoutspoken approach to bonsai and that’s not only about the material side of things What was your training? I’ve...

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Workshop
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One became two

Martin Nielsen divides a Japanese maple into two new trees Martin describes his work with a Japanese maple where one tree becomes two. It’s a tree with a fine nebari grown from a seed in...

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Styling
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This one?

Jörg Derlien’s all too familiar struggle to find the right pot fit for his larch The larch depicted here, a Larix decidua, was acquired in 2009 and obtained from the Alpine region of Wallis in...

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Masterclass
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Can it grow upside down?

To get the best results Masahiko Kimura flips a juniper upside down Just turn it upside down, a brilliant idea, which for many would be an impossible option; not so for Masahiko Kimura Another upside...

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Styling
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All-American pine

Bjorn Bjorholm works on a pine grown from seed Bjorn gives an initial styling to a more than 50-year-old pine, grown from seed. This classic informal upright bonsai has a long and much told history...

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