Author: Farrand

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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Technique

The branch doctor

Master Oota is the expert on grafting new branches on junipers From grafting branches to finishing a tree and his selection of famous needle junipers, these are trees that have been created by Nobuharu Oota...

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Workshop

Just too long

Jan Culek copes with a tree that is almost impossible to style The pine Jan has chosen to work on (Pinus sylvestris) hasn’t the most ideal branch setting and trunk shape. It is a clump...

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Seed

Larch from seed

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. Here we...

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Workshop

Upside down

From moyogi to kengai, Martin Nielsen can’t wait to try I got this tree some years ago from one of my old bonsai friends, Kurt Andersen. It’s a locally native tree, Juniperus communis of approximately...

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Technique

Doing the opposite

Instead of compacting and downsizing, David Soto opens and unfolds cramped branches We are used to seeing how branches and trunks are bent to bring the green areas closer to the interior, compress them and...

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Case History

A matter of taste?

Bartosz Warwas takes a garden centre Juniperus squamata to the big bonsai show This juniper will probably forever remain the least valuable, yet most important tree in my collection. You probably can guess why it’s...

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Shohin

A powerhouse

Mike Lane gives an in-depth look at the venerable Sea Hibiscus An unassuming bonsai subject at first glance, the sea hibiscus appears to lack any of the desirable traits we pursue when looking for good...

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Shohin

Fine and fiddly

Yukio Hirose guides you through the defoliation and wiring of maples and elms Yukio Hirose: ‘First I will introduce this tree, a trident maple (Acer buergerianum) that is halfway through its development. The reason for...

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Shohin

Can you feel it?

Yukio Hirose creates the windswept style from a juniper Hirose Yukio is a shohin expert who shows you here how to create from simple material, a tree shaped by the wind The material that Yukio...

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Free

Sansui, birds and beasts

Reijaku from Taiwan, is the artist who knows all about Japan’s favourite paintings and creates beauty with her own work. In recent years, the popularity of painted pots has increased. In January 2010, a Taiwanese...

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Styling

Left or right?

A rare Satsuki azalea is restyled

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Technique

Between life and death

Carving juniper deadwood with Master Kunihiko Kanemitsu Kunihiko Kanemitsu, of the Okayama City Kanemitsu Bonsai Studio, presents a dramatic contrast between life and death within the confines of a pot. Natural raw material is almost...

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Masterclass

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

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

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

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

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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Free

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

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

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

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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