The knot of El Tim- Like smooth machinery, El Tim (The Team, consisting of Leo, Alberto and Luis) work on amazing material and produce stunning bonsai. Initially, the Scots pine specially donated by Michael Tran’s Minoru bonsai, looks like a […]
Just imagine…- Improve your styling skills: learn how to make a bunjin How does one get the branches right? Using the bunjin-gi, or literati style, as a guide, we give an insight into how the branch placement […]
A ‘root over statue’- Angkor Wat inspired Jerome Kellerhals to create a ‘root over statue’. Jerome guides you through the techniques of wiring, defoliating, pruning, repotting and maintenance to achieve denser foliage and smaller leaves on a Ficus. This […]
RAW…and too many branches- Solving the problems on a satsuki azalea Osamu Fukudate’s (Shunkaen Bonsai Museum) first entry into the Sakkafu-ten received the Satsuki award. He also won recognition from the judges at the 43rd Nippon Bonsai Sakkafu-ten. As […]
Another vision- Chiharu Imai looks back on some of his remarkable works Chiharu Imai is a well-known bonsai Master in the west, famed for his sensitivity and excellence of technique. Here he looks back on some of […]
Graphic designer goes bonsai- A graphics designer becomes a bonsai Master, which, in short, is the story of Naoki Maeoka. Having graduated from the Kouka-en nursery, he now finds his way in world of international bonsaiNaoki Maeoka (46) isn’t […]
Just one option- Ken Fujiwara dares to take the risk Here’s a very strange, fantastic-looking white pine, where the lower branches have died and the top has been allowed to grow wild. There are few enthusiasts who would […]
Give me space- Understanding the basics of repotting through the example of a young tree One of the big objectives in repotting is to remove a tree’s old roots to provide more space for new roots to grow […]
Off the wall- Jan Culek sketches options for the juniper of John Rigg John: ‘I had this tree in the garden for about 17 years. It has lots of curving branches with partial deadwood. I have been working […]
Multi-trunked Colossus- Jan Culek sketches options for the yew of Coen Huisman Coen Huisman acquired this rough and bushy tree from a bonsai nursery. ‘I wondered what Jan Culek’s ideas would be for this material, which isn’t […]
Back to the future- Bjorn Bjorholm reworks the tree he styled in Japan. A bonsai is never finished, over the years it will mature, perhaps even grow out of its original style. This is what happened with a juniper […]
Cuabilla de Costa- Suriana, or Cuabilla de Costa as it’s known in Cuba, has well-hidden qualities, as Jorge Pensado discovered Jorge: ‘My first step in cultivating bonsai was in 1996. I was self-taught since there was a complete lack […]
Good on all sides- Dominique Bosch styles a sabina juniper Dominique Bosch, an upcoming Dutch bonsai artist, has been studying under Masters like Hotsumi Terakawa, Salvatore Liporace and Taiga Urushibata of the Taisho-En in Japan. In 2017 he was […]
Step by step with Hemlock- Teunis Jan Klein shows us how to create a medium sized bonsai in just a few steps. This time he works on hemlock (Tsuga), a variety less commonly seen as bonsai. 1. Analysis The shrub […]
Boring bonsai- Because bonsai are relatively small they get visually boring very quickly Bjorn: ‘This means that you have to have an eye for detail to avoid this happening. A slight adjustment can make a huge difference […]