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The Australian Bonsai Gallery has been progressively upgrading the quality of the pots in the bonsai collection.
This one is no exception. Needle thinned, bud selected and wired, this black pine is now in a Bigei, Hirata Atsumi, Tokoname pot.
The 2023 repotting season has begun at The Australian Bonsai Gallery with a pot upgrade for this old Swamp Cypress.
At over 100cm this old swampy is a real handful when it comes to repotting. It only takes a few years in the pot for this species to produce a 'pot full' of roots.
We were fortunate enough to have acquired a superb oval Tokoname, Mazan bonsai pot of the right shape and colour for this old bonsai.
If you are interested in refining your repotting skills and learning about optimizing your bonsai soil mixes then sign up for one of our bonsai Workshops.
Bonsai is a process of continuous improvement with the, knowingly, unachievable goal of perfect imperfection.
This is the notion of 'Wabi Sabi'; a focus on the perception of age and the transient nature of everything in life. Bonsai is a true and tangible representation of this Japanese philosophy that goes beyond a single lifetime.
The bonsai that we so lovingly attend can, if we are open to the philosopy, give us so much more than we put into their cultivation.
Spring is here.!! Crazy bud burst on this old Chinese elm; it is getting earlier every year.!! Even so we have some very even budding throughout the entire tree. A testament to some accurate bud selection and vigour balancing done last Autumn.
Our Autumn/Winter workshops focus on this very important task. It applies to all exotic bonsai species.
Great progress on our new Bonsai Gallery.!
The first phase of the build should be completed in a few weeks. This pic only shows one part of the build. Once finished we will share a short clip of the completed section.
Frankly, I think there is no choice but to use copper wire when undertaking a full refinement project on an old bonsai.
There is no substitute for high quality, well softened copper wire. Many of our students have been 'converted' to the exclusive use of copper for their bonsai work.
Used correctly, well softened copper wire is easy to apply, and most importantly, smaller gauges (than aluminium) can be applied with little or no impact on the look of a bonsai.
Winter is a very busy time for the serious bonsai artist and there is no better time to add to the refinement of that special bonsai.
Pines should be needle plucked, bud selected and wired this time of the year. Deciduous bonsai are much easier to refine in Winter, for obvious reasons; bare branches allow for easier wiring, bud selection and branch placement.
The Australian Bonsai Gallery workshops allow you to gain a clear understanding of these processes and give you the confidence to take your skills in bonsai to the next level.
Our workshops allow you to tap into more than 47 years of experience in the development and refinement of bonsai.
Details of our Workshop content can be found HERE.
Eight years from field planted small nursery plant, this grafted White Pine is starting to step up and is now showing some signs of becoming a nice bonsai.
Four years of development, shown here, has resulted in significant branch development from many back-buds.
Winter 2023
This old Swamp cypress is putting on a late show of colour due to the unusually warm Autumn.
It will soon be time for the next round of Winter pruning and wiring.
We have had some great results from the previous Summers pruning.... allowing the first Spring flush to extend un-pruned. This allows the first flush to mature before pruning.
…. see the article on this subject HERE.
Once the wiring and pruning is completed the rewards of this previous work will be evident.
Finally, work has started on the hail shelter at The Australian Bonsai Gallery. Hail is a regular threat in Dorrigo, particularly in the warmer months so we will be fully protected for next season.
Fortunately, our cool climate means that we don't require shade cloth. Just a good, strong, commercial hail guard.!!
