Column by RoySep 1, 201821:36

It pays to show

The letter has arrived. Anxiously you pick it up. The postmark tells you all you need to know about where it has come from. Your heart thumps. With trepidation you open the envelope. YES! For...

Step by Step by dvanoirbeekAug 29, 201814:48

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...

Gallery by FarrandAug 29, 201813:41

Taiwan Bonsai

Travel by FarrandAug 28, 201814:14

Cheng Mei Garden in Taiwan

...

Pots by RoyAug 25, 201818:08

Tokoname potter

...

Masterclass by FarrandAug 18, 201812:14

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...

Report by RoyAug 10, 201813:52

Bonsai Namaste

Three women from India began dreaming about a huge bonsai event with more than 1000 bonsai on display. This dream started more than 8 years ago. February 22-26 2018 it was finally realized. After much...

Free by RoyAug 9, 201816:05

Bonsai down under

Tony Tickle visits the National Bonsai & Penjing Collection in Canberra, Australia and hopes it will inspire other countries to consider their own collections. If you visit the website Trip Advisor and search ‘Things to do...

Column by FarrandJul 1, 201822:57

Women and Bonsai

Over the last few years the discussion as to why there are ‘so few women in bonsai’ has spasmodically raised its head and a recent well-intentioned thread on social media went as far as to...

Step by Step by dvanoirbeekMar 19, 201819:55

Graceful fir

Abies koreana - The graceful fir is an excellent choice for bonsai

Rock planting by dvanoirbeekFeb 15, 201801:05

Chamaecyparis – Just a simple line up?

Nobuichi Urushibata creates a rock planting with cheap material. Making a group planting on a rock with inexpensive material is the goal here. Bonsai Master, Nobuichi Urushibata, Taisho-en Nursery, has much expertise in growing and...

Masterclass by dvanoirbeekJan 15, 201815:53

A double life – A juniper is split up to create two separate bonsai

Minoru Akiyama is well-known for his refined work, which has been seen in many previous issues Bonsai Focus. In summer 2017 he was invited by Frank Busch, of Bonsai Park Nursery, to carry out some...

Pruning by dvanoirbeekJan 15, 201812:00

Acer buergerianum – Bonsai ‘built’ on a frame

A trident maple, grown by the frame technique

Pots by dvanoirbeekJan 15, 201809:00

The aim for perfection led José to Japan

José Guerao Navarro’s own pottery didn’t satisfy him and so he went to Japan to become an apprentice at the studio of famous potter Youkizou Nakano who lives in Tokoname. When I started with bonsai,...

Styling by dvanoirbeekJan 15, 201800:11

Is it natural?

Harry Harrington guides you to create and use deadwood features on deciduous and broadleaf bonsai

Step by Step by dvanoirbeekJan 13, 201817:21

Cotoneaster – A friend to everyone

An extremely versatile and easily grown plant. It enables the grower to happily style away with very satisfying results. Bruno Wijman shows the amazing results after a few hours’ work. 1. Analysing the tree This...

Pruning by dvanoirbeekJan 8, 201812:28

Yama no seishin – The beauty of cherry bonsai

One can find great strength in the depths of winter from the dignified beauty of the white flowers and luxurious fragrance. The beauty of Prunus bonsai is imbued with a sense of wabi. In Japan,...

Travel by FarrandJan 6, 201821:06

Five days in Shikoku

Patric Bosc went on a Japanese tour of discovery. Patrick: ‘On the invitation of Mr Kohei Kubota from Anabuki Travel Agency and Mr Takahiro Miyazaki of the Japanese Transports Administration, I visited Shikoku last October....

Repotting by dvanoirbeekJan 1, 201818:04

Mycorrizha fungus: A partner for life

As bonsai enthusiasts we’ve all heard about mycorrizha, which is supposed to be beneficial to the root system of our bonsai. Is there any truth in this claim or is it just another commercial hoax?...

Design Sketch by dvanoirbeekJan 1, 201816:42

Spiralling veins

Jan Culek sketches options for Max Ludwig’s juniper The tree looks quite fresh and I would like to recommend working first with the essential things for junipers — the live veins and deadwood. The trunk...

Step by Step by dvanoirbeekJan 1, 201812:48

Prunus: Create a finished tree starting from scratch

You can propagate and create bonsai from cuttings and by grafting, especially with unusual and interesting species. Here we introduce an illustrated guide from taking a cutting to a finished tree. We are creating a...

Garden visit by RoyDec 21, 201708:30

Rock climbing in a bonsai garden

David Benavente lives his dream with a garden full of bonsai. Hidden in the mountains just a few minutes’ drive from Madrid, David Benavente has his dream bonsai garden. It’s a well laid out garden...

Step by Step by FarrandNov 13, 201713:23

Instant reward with Blaauw juniper

It’s almost needless to say that junipers are the most popular material for bonsai. They can withstand lots of work done in a short period of time. Available at most nurseries in all kinds...

Styles by RoyNov 9, 201712:31

Sankan-gi | Triple trunk style

Triple trunk style – This has three, five, or seven trunks of different trunk diameters growing from a single root ball. If there are three trunks of differing diameters, it is referred to as a […]

Profile by RoyJul 27, 201715:23

Never fix a screw into a bonsai

Viet Luan Tran (40) went to Germany in 1979, son of a high ranking army officer at West Point. He and his family had arrived as Vietnam War refugees. ‘I feel neither Vietnamese nor German. What I can say is I wear Vietnamese roots and Germany is my home.’ Bonsai is his passion, his guide for life....