I took advantage of a warm January day to scout an area where I am able to collect material for bonsai.
Scouting a dig site
30 Tuesday Jan 2018
Is there a bonsai class I could take?
07 Sunday Jan 2018
The thermometer on my patio says it is 8 degrees Fahrenheit this morning as a very cold stretch of weather is finally about to let up here in Northern Virginia. With all my trees in deep freeze, I was glad to get a question that could break my bonsai boredom. From a person with a new found interest I was asked, “Is there a class I could take?” Well, yes and no.
Now I Know Why Pots are So Expensive.
12 Tuesday Dec 2017
Winter Protection 3 Ways
26 Sunday Nov 2017
For a hot second I considered calling this post “A Winter 3-Way” but I’d hate for a poor choice in title to keep this post from getting through someone’s filter. Of course, putting it in the first paragraph is probably no better. Oh well.
It’s the last week in November in Northern Virginia (in most places, truth be told). While the weather has been rather mild here, this is about the time of year I tuck my trees in for the winter by putting them in a place and manner that will provide some protection from the coldest weather of the season.
This year there are three ways I am arranging trees that will each provide different levels of protection.
Leaf Removal on a Collected Beech
21 Tuesday Nov 2017
Posted in Bonsai
It could be argued that maybe a bonsai enthusiast should stay away from a species named for its large leaves. Ok. That’s fair.
The North American beech is just that – Fagus grandifolia – pretty much translated as “the large leaf beech.” I will concede right from the start that I should look into getting a European beech, but at home, in my immediate surroundings, the American beech plays a big role in defining the woods I love to walk in. It’s a beautiful species, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to collect this young tree that displayed a very full mass of persistent beech-brown leaves when I found it this past spring.
It has done exceedingly well in this first year. In the photo above, I am about halfway done removing the leaves in advance of winter storage. It’s rather surprising how much green you can still see even in the middle of November in Northern Virginia. Nevertheless, a significant amount of color change has occurred and I am confident it won’t miss the leaves at this point.
Just as when I found it, most of the leaves would stay on through the winter if I left them, but I prefer to remove the leaves before putting deciduous trees into cold frames. This reduces the amount of litter inside which can help reduce potential for pest and disease problems in the spring. Besides, I wanted to get a good look at the branching and structure of this tree!
Really not bad for a tree that has not been styled! Removing leaves also gave me a good look at how many buds are set for spring growth. Every indication is this will continue to be a strong specimen. I look forward to helping it develop!
Creating a Template for Building a Bonsai Pot
19 Sunday Nov 2017
In my last post, I shared that I recently started working with a group of bonsai society members who want to learn to make their own bonsai pots. In that post, All Secrets Revealed, I shared a video of the actual construction of a bonsai pot, and while I include every part of the clay construction, one thing I omitted was how I created the template I used to make the pot. Today, I remedy that omission. Check it out!
All Secrets Revealed
12 Sunday Nov 2017
Ok, “All Secrets Revealed” might be a little over dramatic for a video showing the creation of a bonsai pot, but I did included every part of the process, which I hope will serve as a teaching tool.
I recently started working with a group of bonsai society members who want to learn to make their own bonsai pots. Next time we meet, we are going to dive into slab construction and I was worried that it would take longer than we have together. When I do ceramics at home, I often take my time and go back to the work-in-progress several times, sometimes over days. This was a test to see how long it takes from start to finish.
The answer: 3 1/2 hours. We will be able to squeeze this into one session, but it will be a very full session.
Air Layer Followup
02 Thursday Nov 2017
Posted in Bonsai
Tags
I was clearing photos from my phone and realized I had never posted a followup to the Japanese holly air layer I started in the spring. I removed it way back in the beginning of September, so while my post is very delayed, I can add that the Layer is doing well and has even shown signs of new growth before the cooler weather started to arrive.
Fresh from the Kiln
22 Sunday Oct 2017
Posted in Bonsai
I fired up the kiln yesterday.
Removing glaze ware from the kiln is always exciting, and I like the results I got on some new pots for the Bonsai garden.
Three sizes of Bonsai pots from the four inch rose colored pot to the nine inch hexagon.
And three small accent dishes in the three inch size category. I look forward to using all of them!
Oh… and how do you like my stamp? Do you see what I did there?
Another Convert
21 Saturday Oct 2017
Posted in Bonsai
I love meeting people who are as tree and bonsai obsessed as myself, and today I got to spend a little time with a very new bonsai enthusiast.
Victor came to the October 14 meeting of the NVBS and managed to win some plants in our raffle. These two young Ficus were sharing the same tiny little pot and I was happy to help get them separated and into larger pots where they have room to grow and develop into future bonsai material.
We talked a little about wiring and Victor gave it a go to put some movement and character into what were a couple of long arced stems.
It was a pleasure, sir. Welcome to the club!
Bonsai Iterate 