Bonsai Heresy - Pre-order Yours Now and Save 5.00
We expect it to arrive here in early May
Here's some of what our favorite heretic, author Michael Hagedorn wrote about his new book... "Bonsai Heresy is about the myths of common bonsai technique and thought. The book recounts some of my past misdeeds, looks into our group fallacies, and works to correct the most ill-advised of these techniques and ideas using the tools of tradition, science, common sense, and embarrassing stories."
Continued below...
Michael (right) and one of his Seasonal students doing something strange to that poor tree
Micheal Continued from above...
"The book has over 50 chapters of technical and aesthetic myths, including some half-correct ones like ‘Choose the front first’ and ‘Pigeon breasts are naughty’, lays out the debunking science behind B1 and other chemical additives, offers new thoughts in such debates as ‘Any soil the nursery industry uses will work fine for bonsai’, ‘Copper wire is for boneheads / Aluminum wire is for sissies’, and dives into the myth-laden morasses around using / not using wound sealant, the inner core at repotting time, moss, plant hardiness, sacrifice branches, age in bonsai…and on and on."
The choice of chapters was based on topics I’d overheard multiple times and felt were in need of correction or clarification."
Continued below...
An Ezo spruce from Michael's bonsai garden. Here's what he had to say about it..."Ezo Spruce clump with a small Satsuki Azalea, Kokinsai, in the rear. For anyone interested in spruce development there's several blog posts about this one on my website, going back to the first styling of a gangly, thin tree...must have been 2009."
And here's something Michael wrote about yours truly (aka me)... "Finally, in a shocking display of loyalty, my distributor for Post-Dated, Wayne Schoech of Stone Lantern, offered to front the printing costs for the first run of Bonsai Heresy. In the publishing world supporting self-publishing truants such as myself and having them keep their rights is unheard of (my designer Jennifer Omner said she’d actually never heard of it... uh oh) I’m delighted by our long association and by his offer. And Stone Lantern is the place to buy a copy of Bonsai Heresy when it sees the light of day"
No that's not Michael working on a super sized bonsai. But it is in his front yard. Here's what he wrote about it... "Wildlife arborist Brian French creating a dead tree snag for bird habitat. Before two days had gone by we had chickadees and nuthatches investigating the cavity he made in it. If you've ever wondered how the Jin and Shari of bonsai function ecologically on larger trees..."
Bjorn Bjorholm, who like Michael apprenticed in Japan wrote about Bonsai Heresy
"Not only does Michael dispel long-held bonsai myths,
but he wonderfully weaves personal, often self-deprecating anecdotes into the mix.
Well written, deeply researched, and perfectly timed,
Bonsai Heresy is a must-read for every bonsai enthusiast."
If you're one of our twelve readers
who doesn't yet own Michael's Post-Dated,
you can order yours along with Bonsai Heresy
Post-Dated: The Schooling of an Irreverent Bonsai Monk
Michael's first book and our favorite bonsai read (until Bonsai Heresy that is)
Available at Stone Lantern
