Author: Farrand

Video by FarrandJun 18, 202115:54

No beating about the bush

A very bushy juniper for Mauro Stemberger to style It was January 2020 when I arrived at the small city of Marostica at the foot of the Italian Alps for a demo with Mauro Stemberger....

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Sundries by FarrandJun 11, 202115:56

It’s a ‘mossy’ world

Moss is essential for bonsai, but you can enjoy it for itself, too If you have a garden where nothing will grow, cultivating moss in pots is the solution. Enter the ‘mossy’ world of Junichi...

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Technique by FarrandJun 10, 202116:40

Trick of the master

Grafting techniques taught by bonsai Masters to improve your bonsai These techniques can all boosts the quality of your bonsai. Grafting, approach grafting and some simple bending are are just a few of the options...

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Display by FarrandJun 4, 202111:32

Not round, nor square

The various shapes and elements of display: Jita Round doesn’t always have to be round and square doesn’t have to be square. Jitas come in a diverse array of shapes, from rigid to organic and...

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Shohin by FarrandMay 27, 202122:01

Grow ’em yourself

Nobuichi Urushibata shows how you can use juniper cuttings In Japan, material for shohin is mostly grown from cuttings, seed or by air layering. The junipers shown here come from cuttings, which is one of...

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Tree guide by FarrandMay 13, 202117:32

Cork oak – Quercus suber

The Sardinian coastline consists of numerous small beaches embeddedin outstretched tongues of land. No wonder this Italian island is so popular among the tourists. But if you can make the effort to travel inland you...

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Styling by FarrandMay 13, 202115:02

Get rid of undesirable features

Masayuki Fujikawa transforms boring material into a semi cascade Masayuki Fujikawa: ‘The tree shown here is too big to be considered a chuhin, but the idea is not to make it a chuhin for the...

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Case History by FarrandMay 7, 202116:01

A masterpiece tree has no front

A juniper masterpiece more dead than alive, is totally restored ‘Garyuu’, the history and Kakuryu-an. The oldest photographic record of this tree is from 1962 when it was featured in the auction catalogue for the...

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Styling by FarrandApr 30, 202116:48

Too obvious?

A semi-cascade for this oak was so logical René Alber: ‘This huge, but compact cork oak (Quercus suber) is ready for styling. The trunk is massive, has a wonderful curving movement and a fantastic corky...

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Free by FarrandApr 23, 202111:09

An old friend

Update: Amigos of the tejos A small peek back at a tree created in 2010 by Kevin Willson. During the XX Trophy, held in February 2019, we came across an old friend, a yew styled...

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Shohin by FarrandApr 20, 202115:00

Only the little ones

The famous Gafu Ten, which only shows the best shohin from Japan...

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Pots by FarrandApr 15, 202115:03

A game of sorts

According to María José González pots should balance between function and beauty María José González never thought of making a living from ceramics. When a friend asked her to make some bonsai pots things started...

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Masterclass by FarrandApr 9, 202121:37

Amigos of the tejos

How to transform a ‘pig’ of a tree into a breathtaking cascade Kevin Willson had a few years stay in sunny Alicante, Spain, where marvellous material can be found. Dug from the surrounding mountains are...

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Styles by FarrandApr 8, 202114:37

Very delicate

Nik Rozman works for 12 years on a larch Larches are among Europe’s most delicate and feminine-looking conifers. Their fine foliage is nicely contrasted by the rugged bark of old specimens. Because of those features,...

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Technique by FarrandMar 26, 202111:58

The himalaya rose

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 piece of material through to completion. This time...

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Case History by FarrandMar 25, 202121:21

I have no clue…

When he acquired a Buxus, David Quintana had not a clue where to start More than twenty years have passed since this tree and I first got together. And over the course of these years...

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Tree guide by FarrandMar 19, 202115:41

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT

Mike Lane’s story of a buttonwood and his best ever decision. Sixty Seconds. This was all the time I needed to make what would be the most important decision of my life. I had been...

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Styling by FarrandMar 11, 202120:47

On the scrapheap?

Harry Harrington recovers a crab apple (Malus sylvestris) raft bonsai with a new design. I think many of us, as bonsai enthusiasts, will be familiar with the phrase ‘a bonsai is never finished’. However, I...

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Technique by FarrandMar 4, 202121:14

Bonsai celebrity

How to create foliage pads on the so popular five needle pine, work on its roots and watering It’s needless to say that five needle pine (Pinus parviflora) is a very popular species for bonsai....

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Masterclass by FarrandFeb 26, 202112:26

The final test

Andrei Bessonov’s final work as an apprentice to Master Kimura After six years of apprenticeship under Mr Kimura, this is the ‘final test’ for Andrei, with a tree that was obtained specifically for this purpose....

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Spring by FarrandFeb 25, 202115:31

Pot-bound

How to repot small trees in spring Yukio Hirose (Yamato-en) guides you through the principle techniques of repotting deciduous bonsai. According to Yukio, ‘In spring you have the chance to give the tree fresh new...

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Shohin by FarrandFeb 19, 202115:39

Tiny love

The Gafu-ten exhibition brings together those who love these tiny bonsai The second part of a report of the 45th Gafu-ten held from 10 -12 January 2020. Every January it’s time for the major shohin […]

Pots by FarrandFeb 19, 202110:48

Lost in time

Fujikake Yuzan is a master in hand-painted pots Painting is a passion of Fujikake Yuzan and he gets lost in time while doing so. His refined work is much praised in Japan. Fujikake Yuzan, his...

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Report by FarrandFeb 18, 202117:24

Larger than life

A gallery of trees: Living art of the Pacific Bonsai Museum Celebrating the first-ever publication of the bonsai collection of the Pacific Bonsai Museum, we can show you here one of the bonsai Masters featured […]

Step by Step by FarrandFeb 15, 202117:49

Can you see the forest for the trees?

A group planting is one of the most creative styles and quite easy to make With the guidance of shohin expert, Hiroki Miura (Miura Baijyu-en, Osaka) the Japanese popstar, Ayaka Yamamoto, learns how to make...

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Garden visit by FarrandFeb 12, 202115:16

Keep it natural

The bonsai passion of Valter Giuliano Hidden in the Piëdmont mountains of Italy, you can find a small bonsai paradise. It’s the work of Valter Giuliano, who likes to keep things natural What is your...

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Workshop by FarrandFeb 12, 202114:22

The monster elm

The story of an elm found abandoned in a field. Would it survive? Martin Nielsen tells the story of how he created a bonsai from an elm, wondering if he could keep it alive. Then,...

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Shohin by FarrandFeb 5, 202116:41

Seas of Green

An exploration of Premna, one of bonsai’s biggest tropical stars Premna is a genus of tropical and sub-tropical species native to southeast Asia, Africa, and some islands of the Pacific Basin. It is extremely popular...

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Shohin by FarrandFeb 5, 202112:54

No right or wrong way

Yukio Hirose looks at the many options for displaying medium-sized trees We asked Yukio Hirose (Yamato-en) to create a few different displays using kifu-sized trees (35 cm maximum height), using both deciduous and coniferous species....

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Case History by FarrandJan 30, 202114:51

Bonsai timetable

Bartoz Warwas knows that a good plan is the key to bonsai success Before Bartoz explains his timetable for planning the development of bonsai, he will tell you the story of a European hornbeam that...

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