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. […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
The Greek oracle - Elsa Boudouri styles a Juniperus sabina rastrera Greek enthusiast Elsa Boudouri is self-taught and became inspired by bonsai when she was 14. She mainly works with native varieties, like the medium-sized sabina juniper. At a […]
Little princess - Orihime and Maihime are two maple varieties with very tiny leaves With the discovery of a very small-leafed variety comes a new chapter for the maple bonsai. Mr Katsumi Komiya (Shofu-en) guides you through the […]
Think ahead - Get the most from your trees by making corrections for the future. Harumi Ishii (Ueharu-en) specialises in shohin of which refinement is a key element, so ugly cuts or disordered branch settings need to be […]
Is it a gamble? - Masahiko Kimura is challenged by a huge yew. In a corner of Masahiko Kimura’s bonsai nursery is a yew planted in the ground. The trunk is slender and of a feminine appearance. The top section […]
You can’t own it - The Gafu-ten exhibition brings together those who love these tiny bonsai Every year in January it is time for the major shohin exhibition in Japan, the Gafu-ten. Shohin lovers from all over the country and […]
Stewartia - The challenge is to create a finished tree starting 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 […]
The survivor - Rebirth of a juniper that survived the Tohoku earthquake The Sanriku Coast is a dramatic, rocky shoreline with countless bays, cliffs and coves that stretches for over 300 kilometres along the Pacific Coast from just […]