FOREST OF BONSAI

Shinrin Yoku 森林浴 - Swamp Cypress GroupIt is always a pleasure to show visitors through The Australian Bonsai Gallery; and yesterday was no exception.  Three fellows from very diverse vocations spent 1^1/2 hours exploring the finer points of the art of bonsai.

Today, to my delight, I received a very complementary email from one of the visitors, Gary Dodd, a self-taught, self-published Australian free-style poet,  who sent us a delightful poem that focused mainly of our Swamp cypress forest planting.  A copy is here for our enjoyment:-

As
you
look around.

You are
stopped
in your tracks.

By the majesty
of
the trees.

And
even though,
they are
miniature
in size.

They are
a true reflection
of life.

They also project
the majesty
of their creation.

Lovingly
nurtured
for hours,
days,
months
and
years.

Living
many hundreds,
if not
thousands
of years.

These Bonsai trees
capture
your imagination,
your visual senses,
your emotional connection
to a forest.

For they
have been
carefully crafted.

To create
something
profound,
yet simple,
striking
yet open,
breathtaking
yet inviting.

The profession
of
Bonsai trees.

Brings out
the best
in the people
who nurture them.

And touch
the souls,
the hearts,
and
the minds
of the people
everywhere.

They also
prove
the saying.

‘That good things
come
in small packages.’

Care
and attention
is
everything.

And
that love
and passion
can be seen
everywhere.

Thank you
to
Sakura Bonsai Gallery.

For
the privilege,
the honour,
the pleasure,
of
seeing
and
experiencing
your treasures.

Gary Dodd
16 January 2022
http://www.garydodd.com

Two Gallery Collection Bonsai For Sale

We are kicking off 2022 with a couple of Gallery Collection bonsai, discounted for sale. 

As with all of our bonsai, these trees are high quality and are in excellent quality pots.

Sequoia sempervirens - Strong Growth

 Since completing a major thinning and shaping on this old Sequoia in September, the growth rate has been extraordinary.  I believe this is due to allowing it to grow un-pruned since last Springs re-potting where 60% of the root mass was removed.

As the bright green foliage begins to darken to a deeper green colour (late summer - early Autumn) the tree will be lightly pruned and refined to show more of the trunk and lower branches;  for much the same reason as the needle plucking and bud selection on Japanese Black pine.

When & How to Prune Swamp Cypress

 If you are pruning Swamp Cypress to increase budding and refinement then this post may be of some help.

Every few years we allow the first Spring flush to extend un-pruned.  This allows the first flush to mature before pruning.  Early summer pruning, back to about 4-6 nodes, will result in at least 3-4 buds to form from the stump.  If you leave a longer stump then buds will only form on the first 3-4 nodes from the cut. 

These results are clearly shown in the following images, i.e., the image on the left cut at 4-6 nodes with at least 3 buds and, on the right, the longer stump with budding only on the end.

Pruning too early will result in the some die-back of the cut stump and no budding.

If you would like further info on this topic you can contact us HERE.

Dwarf Heath Casuarina - from Seed

Allocasuarina defungens. Dwarf Heath Casuarina grown from Seed I collected in 1984.

Some great character from the corky bark forming on the trunk and branches.

Up until last year it was developed through the 'cut-and-grow' method.  It has only seen some wiring this year.

Bonsai Pot from Japan arrived Today

 Been waiting for this Kaiyou - Tokoname pot for over 12 months.!  Great colour and texture.  From a Japanese auction at a good price....... freight was a killer though.!

Kaiyou - Tokoname

Work on Deciduous Bonsai at The Australian Bonsai Gallery. 

Just a short clip to update on some of the deciduous bonsai having had a summer prune.

Sound On.!!

Japanese Black & Red Pine Summer Update

Bit of an update on some of our pine work this season.

Niwaki outside the Bonsai Gallery

We have completed the first stage of training this huge Ficus macrophylla as a niwaki in front of the Australian Bonsai Gallery.

It has a long way to go but, inspite of the cool climate, it will develop rapidly and add some interest to the gallery area of the gardens.

The chooks are their only for scale.!

Ficus Macrophylla 2016 to 2021 Development

 I posted a story about this old Ficus macrophylla some time ago when it was repotted.  Going through some older images I found a pic of this tree from 2016 and decided to show it here with some more recent images.  It is easy to forget how your trees have improved over time unless you have these comparitive images.

Continued pinching back to two nodes will see smaller leaves develop.  We don't defoliate every year in Dorrigo as the Spring-Summer temperatures can be as low as 20^o C MAXIMUM.!!!!