Bonsai Story and Provenance

Results of the Bonsai Masterclass, mentioned in my last article, are shown here in the image and short clip.  The weekend visit has reminded me of the importance of recording the history of our bonsai.

The story behind bonsai, like the one pictured here, is an important part of the history of bonsai and must be preserved. The story and provenance adds a richness to the art of bonsai.

No matter where a bonsai is displayed, in an exhibition, competition, or any other public or private collection, the story and provenance should be told.!!!

Most of us have seen old bonsai on display without the chance to fully appreciate its journey through time as well as the artists who had contributed to its longevity and design. 

The story of this Kuromatsu was covered in a previous article here. 

Bonsai Masterclass Weekend

All packed up and ready for a Bonsai Masterclass weekend with Ian Hearn.

The Kuro Matsu in this pic is one of Ian's I acquired many years ago.  It is going 'home' for the masterclass weekend at Ian's bonsai garden.

The work will concentrate on the usual Winter needle plucking, bud selection, and wiring along with some design 'tweaks'. 

It is always a great pleasure to work on such mature bonsai.  This KuroMatsu (Mikawa) was grown from Japanese seed in 1970.

Compare the Pair - Bonsai & Garden Tree

So many visitors to The Australian Bonsai Gallery assume that 'Bonsai' are some sort of special tree variety that simply do not grow as a 'normal' tree would grow. 

My stock-standard answer is to show them the comparison of the two English oaks pictured below. 

The large tree and the bonsai were acorns I collected from an oak tree that we had started from an acorn, and planted in our previous garden outside of Grafton, more than 40 yrs ago.

When we moved to Dorrigo 22 years ago, one tree was planted in the ground and the other started it's bonsai journey.

Now the comparison is stark.!  Sometimes I find it difficult to believe;  and our visitors are stunned at how these trees are the same age.  A great example of the 'magic' of Bonsai.

Time to Work on your Deciduous Bonsai

 Time again to work on your deciduous bonsai. Now that all leaves have fallen, it is a great opportunity to closely examine the ramification of your trees.

At this time of the year all deciduous bonsai at The Australian Bonsai Gallery undergo structural refinement through a rigorous thinning, bud selection and wiring. 

It is best to wire now as the branches on most species are still flexible enough to be wired and shaped.

Thinning out the unwanted branching, and bud selecting to two buds, eliminates unwanted Spring growth and improves overall branch ramification.

Chinese Elm from a 1980 root cutting.

The Last of the Gallery Bonsai For Sale and Discounted

This is about the last 'Old Stock' bonsai for sale from the gallery collection.  We have discounted them for a quick sale as we will, hopefully, be moving and down-sizing from our 6.5 acre property.

890 mtrs of Copper Wire for Softening

The Australian Bonsai Gallery has just taken delivery of 890 mtrs of copper wire. 

We have always, over 45 years, softened our own wire annually.  It has become a tradition to sit around a blazing fire, with a glass of red wine, in Winter to go through the annealing process.

We generally use 1.22mm, 1.63mm, 2.0mm, 3.2mm and 4.1mm copper on our bonsai and encourage all of our Workshop students to use copper on their bonsai.  It is very easy to use if softened properly.

New Bonsai House at Mt Coot-Tha Botanic Gardens

 Today we had a chance to visit the Botanic Gardens at Mt Coot-Tha in Brisbane to check out the Japanese Gardens and the progress on the new Bonsai House build.

The Japanese Gardens are very well done and look spectacular even on a rainy, overcast day.

The new Bonsai House seems to be well under way.  I have been informed that it is expected to be completed by August this year.!!

I have added some images of the Japanese Gardens as well as some of the construction site.  Additionally, I have added a clip of the proposed layout of the Bonsai House.

Time for a Japanese Bonsai Tour

Now that Japan is opening up to tourists from Australia it is time to start planning your trip.

Bonsai Network Japan offers a comprehensive range of bonsai tour packages to serve your needs.  They offer their services to bonsai enthusiasts coming from all over the world. Their experienced bonsai specialists will be happy to meet all of your requests. We will pick you up at any place you are staying in Tokyo or the surrounding area by our chartered car.

I would recommend a trip to Omiya Village - Bonsaicho, Kita Ward, Saitama, 331-0805, Japan. There you can visit Masahiko Kimura, Tomio Yamada, and Kato san, as well as visiting the Omiya Bonsai Museum.

Closer to Tokyo, you will visit Kobayashi san at the Shunka-en Bonsai Museum - 1-chōme-29-16 Niihori, Edogawa City, Tōkyō-to 132-0001, Japan

We visited all of these with a guide and interpreter - Yoshihiro Nakamizu. Yoshi-san was very good to us.! 

Yoshi can be contacted on:

Mobile: 090 5311 1808
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
web: http://www.j-bonsai.com

See some images of our last tour in 2016 HERE

AkaMatsu After Autumn Work

As Promised, an update on the Autumn work on this old AkaMatsu.  In addition to what was mentioned in the previous article, a very important task to perform while needle-plucking, bud selection and wiring is to balance the foliage on your bonsai pine.  This will ensure even budding in Spring.!!

      BEFORE --------------------- AFTER

AkaMatsu Before Autumn Work

As the second flush has hardened off it is time for the most important work on 'Two Flush' pines.  If this work is neglected then your bonsai is 'terminal'...... not necessarily dead, but it will be doomed to become leggy or will require un-necessary Spring pruning resulting in masses of buds from the one point on extended branches.

We are currently holding Autumn Workshops with a focus on this work.

Scroll down for a short clip with some detail of the required work.