Author Archive
Bonsai
A Beginners Guide To Choosing Trees, Styles and Pots
Trees Beginners will get the best start by choosing trees that are within their capabilities. An outdoor tree, indigenous to the area, is likely to be most successful. Some of the most easily available bonsai, such as those in ...
Editorials
Video & Bonsai
Still photographs are generally accepted to be the best way to record the progress of a tree from initial training to maturity. They also assist in the planning of future changes in the design. Video can be a more appealing met...
Styles and Styling
Unusual Bonsai Species and Styles
To the newcomer all bonsai are unusual. Anyone with an abiding interest may find that the repetition of working with the same old species, in a limited number of styles, becomes jaded in time. If we look beyond our indigenous s...
Display
Japanese Lanterns
Lanterns are a classic component of the Japanese garden and a worthwhile addition to the bonsai display area. There are many distinct types, in sizes and styles to suit most tastes. Authentic carved stone lanterns are very expe...
Display
Display columns – Elevate Your Trees
Also known as Monkey Poles, these are the ideal way of displaying a specimen tree individually and thus concentrating attention upon it. They allow you to walk around your tree, appreciating it from all angles and perhaps atten...
Display
Bonsai Display Benches
A good display bench is essential for the outdoor display of bonsai. Once your trees have developed to the stage where you are proud of them, keeping them on a purpose built bench has many advantages. Among these are: Healthy g...
Display
Bonsai Security
A friend returned from Tokyo recently and recounted his amazement at the freedom from crime that the population (including bonsai artists) enjoy in Japan. He was able to walk along narrow alleys behind and between houses and ob...
Propagation
Layering
One of the most reliable methods for propagating material for bonsai is by layering. It is almost foolproof. Layers can be taken from many plants that are difficult from cuttings. You can even layer from a mature bonsai that yo...
Editorials
Trees Lost – Lessons Learned
I’ve heard variations of a statement used by bonsai masters a few times. It is that “you’re not a true bonsai buff until you have lost a treasured tree”. Well, if that was the sole criteria, I should be ...
Accent Plantings
Underplanting and Accent Plants
Ground Cover and Accompaniment Plants for Bonsai When exhibiting Bonsai formally, they are kept uncluttered. A minimal underplanting of well chosen and perfectly grown moss is traditional. Many judges prefer this to only cover ...
Watering
Watering
Bonsai masters widely accept this skill as being one of the most difficult to learn. Too much water tends to rot the fine feeder roots and too little dries them out. One thing is certain, if you don’t get it right you wil...
Watering
Irrigation
Gravity Fed Irrigation Systems This year we’ve been blessed with heavier than usual rainfall but in years when water conservation measures are necessary, gardeners take the brunt of media attention. This despite the fact ...
Fertilization
Organic Fertilisers
Advice differs widely on fertilising bonsai and can be confusing. This is partly due to the numbers of fertilisers now available to the bonsai grower and also because of the different planting mixtures used. Also, trees at diff...
Propagation
Trees From Seed – Bonsai The Slowest Way
Growing trees from seed has a charm that begins with the joy of germination. It continues as each seedling progresses through its tender stages to become a promising sapling. This potential fully fledged tree, given the correct...
12
