Bonsai Post: January 2014

Winter is the time that we refine our deciduous trees and prepare them for the upcoming seasons. At various locations throughout the country local and regional clubs will have a mid-winter show to display their trees in silhouette, this is were you can appreciate the fine ramification of the tree's structure. The largest show in Japan is the Kokufu-Ten show that is held in February giving bonsai enthusiasts the opportunity to view the beauty of the trees in all their glory.

CATLIN ELM 19 INCHES

This is a Triple Trunk Catlin Elm that I have been working on for the last fifteen years. The Catlin elm is a sport of the Chinese elm with small leaves. This mutation was discovered by Joe Catlin a landscape designer in Southern California in the early 1950's. This tree has been wired in the past but at this time is grown using the clip and grow method. I will let the growth extend out to 5 or 6 leaves then cut the growth back to 2 or 3 leaves. The Catlin Elm has a very thin bark and the bark will exfoliate providing an interesting effect somewhat like a Sycamore tree. This tree is potted in a cream colored oval pot from Bonsai Vision. The pot is acquiring a nice patina and the soft tones of the glaze and simple oval shape go nicely with this specimen.

BURT DAVI FICUS 6 INCHES

This is a Burt Davi Ficus. This tree has been defoliated as it is a tropical and does not drop its leaves in the fall. By defoliating the tree I can improve back budding and increase the ramification. As you can see it is just starting to push new growth. The pot for this tree is a little over-sized but I am trying to push the growth and fatten the trunk a little. The style for this tree is a formal upright broom style and with a little more girth to the trunk it will appear straighter and be a better looking specimen. The pot that I have chosen is a light blue rectangle from Bonsai Vision. The straight lines of the pot and the soft blue color contrast nicely with the bright green leaves of this bonsai.

BURT DAVI FICUS 6 INCHES

Here we have another Burt Davi Ficus. This tree will have a completely different feel and look than the previous bonsai as this is a Moyogi style (informal upright). This tree has also been defoliated to improve its ramification.This has been potted in a Mokko style pot of a dark blue from Bonsai Vision. The ficus species in general likes to be slightly root-bound so the use of small pots do not hinder their growth.

Korean Hornbeam 21inch x 11 inch

This a Korean hornbeam that I have worked on for 13 years. When this tree was first acquired it was growing in a slant style. I converted it to a semi Cascade and have been training it in that style for the last 11 years. I have potted it in a Bonsai Vision steel blue cascade pot that complements the white muscular shape of the trunk. This tree has been wired this year. When wiring deciduous trees I wire the branches downward as this weakens the tips and forces more back budding which will increase the ramification. Eventually the growing tips will begin to rise and the tree will take on more of the look that it should have as a finished tree

Korean Hornbeam 22 inch

This Korean Hornbeam was acquired 3 years ago and I have begun the work of increasing the ramification of the branches. As with the previous specimen I have wired the branches down to increase back budding. This tree is potted in a Bonsai Vision pot From the Yamaaki Kiln In Tokoname. Korean Hornbeams are vigorous growers and extremely hardy. The small dark green leaves are in perfect scale for mid size and Shohin bonsai.

Zelkova Serrata 7 inch

This broom style Zelkova is just starting to begin to ramify and within 3 to 5 years should rival some of the the shohin Zelkovas that you can find at the Green club during the Kokufu-ten show in Japan. This bonsai is planted in a Mokko shaped pot from Bonsai Vision by the Tokoname artist Kouyou. The purple glaze is unusual and goes nicely with the grey bark and the light green leaves of early spring. I am pulling the front branch towards the right slightly as I changed the front to the right by about 10% to show the Nebari a little better so I have had to move the branches a little

Korean Hornbeam 19 inch

This slender trunk Korean Hornbeam is beginning to develop the twiggeness that Hornbeam's are so famous for.
The plan for this tree is to try to keep the trunk on this tree slender to enhancer its elegance, rather than trying to have a chunky tree. There are no large chops on this tree and it has always been grown in a pot.This bonsai is potted in a Yamaaki cream oval from Bonsai Vision.

Chinese Elm 22 inch

This Chinese elm was purchased as a twin trunk unfortunately the smaller trunk (the stump that you see on the bottom right) died so I was left with making the tree with a single trunk. The hollows and crevasses in the trunk of this tree make it one of the most popular trees on my benches when I have visitors over. The tree has many classic faults according to the rules but I like the tree the way that it is progressing so I think I will keep it. This tree has been potted in a Bonsai Vision oval pot with rivets around the top in a robins egg blue glaze.

Having just returned from the GSBF convention in Burbank it started me thinking about were are we going with bonsai here in the United States and also around the world. I've attended the GSBF convention for the last 20 years or so and it seems like every year it is the same people doing most of the work and carrying the load for all of us. When I look at our local club I see the same thing: There are a handful of dedicated folks that make everything click and so many that enjoy the fruits of the labor of so few. At this time in the U.S. we are so very fortunate that there is a cadre of hard-working bonsai enthusiasts and bonsai professionals who continue to provide all of us with direction and the chance to improve our understanding and vision of bonsai. I know here on the West Coast we are lucky to have such a depth of knowledge with people such as Kenji Miyata, Kathy Shaner, Ryan Neil, Michael Hagedorn, and so very many others. On the East Coast you have such talented artists as Bill Valavanis, Suthin Sukosolvisit, Bjorn Bjorvala and the list goes on and on. As an aside, any of you who haven't purchased Bill Valavanis's album Classical Bonsai Art had better get it quick as it is awe-inspiring to look at what he has achieved over the 50 years that he has been studying and teaching the art of bonsai. Do we consider ourselves as bonsai artists-in-training or is this hobby just something to do when were not watching TV? I remember reading an editorial by John Palmer, the editor of Bonsai Today, with the same thoughts 25 years ago. Do we support the local bonsai nurseries and vendors with our dollars? I remember at the last Shohin convention in Santa Nella one of the participants was complaining about the prices that some of the vendors had on some of their plants. In looking at the pre-bonsai that she was complaining about, I could see that this particular vendor had spent probably 12 to 15 years growing this type of material, keeping it healthy, repotting it every few years, trimming it to keep the foliage tight, and he had the audaciousness to ask 300 dollars for it! So I promptly told this young lady that she was correct that there was no way that she should purchase that plant, if she couldn't see the value of 15 years of labor then the material would be wasted on her. I promptly purchased the tree in question and feel that I received a real bargain. How many of us look for nothing but the bargain and overlook the best? If we are to continue to grow personally in bonsai we need to improve our understanding of what will be a good bonsai and what will not. How many of us have that very first bonsai that we started with? I know that my first attempts have been donated to club raffles as I have tried to improve my own collection. If we keep every tree that we have ever owned we wouldn't be able to expand our collection and acquire better and better material. So this is enough ranting I just want to implore all of you to support your local club by volunteering to help in any way that you can. Take a class, improve your skills, visit your local bonsai nursery and purchase something that you can turn into something wonderful.

Some photos of the GSBF convention. A wonderful time was had by all.