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collecting from the wild
How far can we go?
It is fairly safe to say that bonsai in the West has reached a very high level because major exhibitions such as the Gingko Award and the Trophy brought together trees from many nations. And this has evolved even further over the last 25 years with shows of higher quality…...
The busiest time
Harry Harrington’s tasks for native bonsai during late autumn With the growing season left long behind, November sees the last of the leaves fall from our deciduous bonsai, as average day temperatures and light levels drop. The daily chore of watering our bonsai collections has almost finished; however, it is…...
The Quebecan pearl
The story of Linda’s favourite bonsai from the wild – both good and sad. Living in the Canadian city of Laval, Quebec, Linda Chicoine often goes on hiking tours to see if there is a good tree waiting to be discovered. This is my story about the transformation of a…...
Chronicle of a Mop Top
Martin Nielsen tells his story of the broom style The broom style or whatever you would like to call it – maybe ‘Hokidachi’, as the Japanese say, even ‘mop top’. It is up to you to decide. You could also refer to it as the style of The Tree. The…...
Hands on
The bonsai passion of Antony Smith Antony was instantly hooked when given a bonsai. All things changed from that moment What was your training? I studied Landscape Technology at the Tshwane University of Technology in Pretoria. I am not the best at theory and prefer to have hands-on experience in…...
Worth working on?
There is almost no material that is completely useless David Soto: ‘My students, often try to mimic the work of great masters. It’s only natural, and if you don’t own one of those very high quality pieces of material that we are accustomed to see in different articles or during…...
Larix
This is a tree whose beauty is legendary, yet it suffers from some neglect as bonsai. There are many species of larch to choose from and available in Europe are Larix decidua, the European larch; L. kaempferi, syn. L. leptolepis, the Japanese larch and L. Eurolepis, the Dunkeld larch: a…...
Crataegus
An interesting plant that is either a spreading tree or large shrub. The wild tree has white flowers and red fruit. The distribution is vast spreading from America in the west, through Europe and on to Asia. The Hawthorn has a striking appearance as an old tree and is often…...
Potentilla
Potentilla, a plant that is often overlooked as a ‘serious’ Bonsai because of its shrubby nature. It does however have excellent characteristics for Bonsai, with its interesting bark and fresh yellow flowers. SPECIES Common Name: Cinquefoil Genus: Potentilla Higher Taxon: Rosaceae Species: Fruticosa Skill Level: beginner to advanced Soil Type:…...
Pinus parviflora
This is one of the most popular of the Asian pines for bonsai work and garden use. The two species of the white pine commonly seen as imported bonsai in the west are: Pinus Parviflora var. ‘Negishi’, with its very blue leaves and P. Parviflora var. ‘Zuisho’, which has very…...
Betula – Tough to work on
The birch has many virtues, it can prosper in the harshest environments, but as bonsai you need to be a little more patient and gentle to achieve good results. Harry Harrington gives us his hands-on approach on how to grow birch. Betula is a genus of about 60 species of…...
Quite unlike a fairy tale
Hornbeam is an exciting tree for bonsai. Marija Hajdic: ‘About ten years ago, oriental hornbeam was an unknown species of bonsai. Here, I present the development of one of the best of its kind, a very imposing hornbeam called ‘The Emperor’. Quite unlike Andersen’s fairy tale, the Emperor here, has…...