I think this forest planting is my favorite for today. Maybe it's just the moss and leaves that make it stand out, or the fine filagreed ramification (something you almost always see in the best Japanese bonsai, but not as much in the West). But there's more of course, including its inviting almost delicate natural beauty. (Note: after I wrote this and most of the text below, I discovered that It belongs to Luis Vallejo as do all three bonsai in today's post. And though I don't know for sure if this one originally came from Japan, I'd bet my estate -such as it is- that it did) 

Before you start, all the writing in plain text occurred before I realized that all three trees I chose for this post belong to Luis Vallejo and all three are originally from Japan (again, I'd bet on the one above). This and the other text in italics was written after this discovery

I just spent some time going through dozens of photos on Bonsai Empire's timeline from the 2020 Trophy exhibition in Genk, Belgium. Most were taken by Panos Koutantzis, though there were some by others. I'll just show you three of my favorites today and later we'll look at some more

Most of the trees are great. Of these, a few were traditional style bonsai, heavily influenced by the Japanese tradition (this was written before my enlightenment) and most of the rest were somewhere between traditional and something a little newer with a more experimental bent. We'll feature some of these in the next edition of our FREE Newsletter. You can sign up at the bottom of this page or in the column to the right
Continued below...

This Stewartia belongs to Luis Vallejo (we featured it last year in a post of Luis' trees) and has Japan written all over it (it was imported from Japan to Spain). This is especially noticeable when you look at the fine ramification, a common feature of Japanese bonsai and the nebari (ditto). And of course, Stewartia are native to Japan (and Korea)

None of the trees shown here and in the upcoming edition of our Free Newsletter were attributed or identified, which is usually the case with photos from shows. There are just too many trees and not enough time for the photographers to do the research

Now that I've realized my Japanese bonsai bias (this isn't first time), it's no surprise that I chose this Juniper root-on-rock as well as the other two. It originally belong to the Masahiko Kimura (The Magician) and was imported to Spain by Luis Vallejo

More evidence. All three of Luis Vallejo's imported trees are displayed together. Btw, the fact that these trees are imported takes nothing away from Luis' expertise or skill. He or someone under his guidance cares for all his imports, and if you visit his Museo Bonsai de Alcobendas you can see for yourself just how well his trees are maintained over time

For more photos from The Trophy here's your link to Bonsai Empire

You can also see more in our FREE Newsletter (you can sign up below or to the right)

If you've read this far, email me and let me know <wayne@stonelantern.com> and we'll send you a Free 5.00 coupon for a future order

Stewartias often have strong nebari and this one is no exception. I don't know who the artist is. I tried Image Search, which recognized that it's a Stewartia, but didn't find this particular tree

This is the second in a series of how-to Nebari posts. Much of the emphasis here is on eliminating roots that grow down and encouraging the rest of the roots to grow almost straight out from the base of the trunk. The tree that is being worked on in the photos below is a Japanese maple. Stay posted for more posts on Nebari development 

The bottom. The roots that grow straight down have been eliminated
and the rest have been combed straight out from the base of the trunk

The top. Clearly this tree already has a very good start
on a well developed nebari, but there's always room for more 

Warning, most bonsai teachers we know warn against this approach. Even any bare rooting is discouraged, let alone washing off every particle. Unless you have the expertise and perfect conditions, the risk of damage or worse is too high.... Nevertheless here's the original text...
"A final washing with a concentrated stream gets rid of stubborn soil particles. When that's done, it's time to carve the base of the trunk. This allows for a lower, flatter planting and discourages roots from growing down"

Here you can see the that Mr. Miau carved the bottom 
of the nebari in several places.
This helps to discourage roots from growing down

Now it's ready to plant...

.
..into a very low pot. Notice how shallow the soil is and how all the roots are lying flat on top

Left: before the rest of the soil is added. Right: after all the soil has been added. Notice how the nebari is exposed but all the roots that extend from it are covered

I think this Stewartia nebari qualifies as a monster. That's Bjorn Bjorholm’s thumb. We originally featured this photo in a post from April 2015

A Prime Minister award winning Japanese white pine that Michael Hagedorn had a hand in styling while apprenticing in Japan. Here's a quote from Michael about the trees he worked on in Japan, from his Crataegus Bonsai site... "The bonsai here are a sampling of those worked on as an apprentice in Japan, from 2003-2006. Several of the trees show a period where I was carefully organizing every shoot... Afterwards, in the second half of my apprenticeship, I was allowed a more natural and relaxed feeling in the branching and foliage presentation, represented in the last image, which won Mr. Suzuki a Prime Minister’s award" 

Here's a book Review of Micheal Hagedorn's widely acclaimed Post-Dated, The Schooling of an Irreverent Bonsai Monk that I wrote for Bonsai Bark eleven years ago. With Michael's new book, Bonsai Heresy due soon, I thought this might be a good time to revisit Post-Dated. I hope some of Michael's brilliance comes through in spite of my limitations

I first read Post-Dated at 30,000 feet; Boston to SFO. By coincidence, the man sitting next to me was reading Thoreau’s Walden, a book usually confined to students and scholars (and everyone else’s bookshelves). He was well past his student years and turned out to be an engineer who simply loved Thoreau.

I bring this up because Post-Dated has a chapter titled: Restless Spirits: The Usefulness of Henry and Ernest. Henry is, of course, Henry Thoreau. Ernest is Ernest Hemmingway. Michael included them in his book because they both studied bonsai in Japan as young men. Henry was gifted, but Ernest was too impatient to get very far with bonsai, though his reputation as a person who could consume rivers of sake while telling spell binding stories of bullfights, lost lovers and big fish, is still alive and well in Japan (now, after apologizing to our readers -both of you- and especially to Michael Hagedorn, let’s see if we can refocus).

 I loved Post-Dated. Unlike any other bonsai book I’ve ever read, it’s a genuine page turner. Michael’s gift for story telling, and his sense of humor (mostly at his own expense) are as strong as his gift for bonsai. Here’s a sample:

I had studied Japanese for a full year before arriving in Japan, and in every class I had attempted, there was a faint halo of a dunce cap sitting on my head. The brain had ossified in my thirties, seemingly unwilling to assimilate anything new of this sort. The difficulties continued while in Japan, where one would think constant verbal exposure would soften this mental geology. This was a conversation in Japanese, at teatime, going over a bit of studio inventory: I comment: “We have long onions and short onions, but no medium ones.”They stare at me, wordless, The conversation continues and leaves me far behind, mulling over long and short onions.“SCREWS! Not onions, screws! Sorry!”

Just the funny and embarrassing stories would make your time and money well spent. But there’s plenty more; including numerous observations for anyone interested in how cultures take different approaches to life’s issue, big and small:
Tachi (another apprentice) got a lecture today from Mr. Suzuki, again, a drilling about placement of branches and arrangement of shoots. I sensed the tension although I was in and out with various tasks …. The next day Mr. Suzuki took me aside and said that he is very hard on Tachi to strengthen his spirit, that it is difficult to have a weak one in this business… I do not envy the expectations that lead to a lifetime of stress in Japan. In the U.S. we allow life itself to temper the spirit; in Japan, your teacher does it. Up to the age of thirty Japanese are considered tamago, eggs, and teachers are expected to break their students open, and prod their insides.

Mr. Shinji Suzuki, foreground, and his other apprentice, Tachi

As you might expect, bonsai stories are also woven throughout, with valuable lessons in the Japanese way of bonsai (which, though some Westerners feel is overly concerned with detail, really works; the proof being in the pudding). Here’s one of many stories for anyone who practices bonsai...

In the prepared pot, I poured a half inch of granular soil, and he (Mr. Suzuki) chastised me, 'Dame! (pronounced dah-may) Not good! This maple is old and has thin twigs, so don’t add the chunky soil to the bottom. Finer soil. Dame! '

When I read this, a light went on in my all-too-often thick-skulled head and I remembered something I once knew. Aha! That explains why some old bonsai mavens use finely screened, small particle shohin soil on their older fully developed trees. Fine soil equals fine roots. Fine roots support fine twigs. Of course!

As reread this, I don’t feel I’m doing Michael Hagedorn and Post-Dated much justice. There’s a bigger story that Michael captures and communicates so well. It’s about life as an apprentice in a baffling and sometimes wonderful world, and beyond that what is real and unreal in this human realm where people stumble along, styling beautiful bonsai while sticking both feet in their mouths and then sharing the outrageousness of it all with humility (not far from humiliation), honesty, and best of all, a great sense of humor.

PS. There really is a chapter about Thoreau and Hemmingway, and the man next to me really was reading Walden. Now, you may not be so impressed with this, but seriously, when was last time that you and the person next to you were both reading about Thoreau and one of you was reading a book about bonsai?

Post-Dated: The Schooling of an Irreverent Bonsai Monk
By Michael Hagedorn
Crataegus Books, Portland Oregon
Softcover, 216 pages, $14.95 
Available at Stone Lantern

 Stay Posted for Michael's Second Book

Due around the end of April
We will begin discounted pre-selling soon

This Chinese quince (Pseudocydonia sinensis) presents a number of striking features, not the least of which is its powerful nebari (surface roots)

Improving a Nebari*
by Oishi Kazo
Nebari are often under-appreciated, especially in the west. In Japan bonsai artists will sometimes talk about nebari as though it is the most important feature when looking for bonsai material. If you think about it, this is not far-fetched, as excellent naturally occurring nebari are harder to come by than excellent naturally occurring trunks.

I doubt it is even worth mentioning, as everyone knows this—but because bonsai are grown in very confining containers, regular transplanting is absolutely necessary.

What is frequently forgotten is that transplanting is a time to elevate the quality of your bonsai. In this short article, I would like to share with you some thoughts and advice about nebari (surface roots) and tachiagari (lower trunk, from the nebari to the first branch).

Quality bonsai start with the roots. How many bonsai on exhibit have you seen? Whether live or in photos, have you ever seen one with a bad nebari? Assuredly, the answer is no (the author is referring to exhibits in Japan). 

 Two defects that will not correct themselves over time

 When the pot is too small and the roots look like this…

 ….lower the soil line and gradually push the protruding humps down

 When the pot is too tall and narrow, and the roots grow like this…

…lower the soil line to below where they bulge out

Say posted for more from Oishi Kazo on nebari

Japanese black pine grafted onto Ponderosa trunk. This photo was taken in December, 2019

Here's part of what Michael Hagedorn wrote about this tree... "This is an earlier work, black pine grafted on a ponderosa trunk. I think it was grafted about 9 years ago. It’s a small tree, a chuhin at 14”. Collected years ago by Randy Knight; recently reworked by apprentice John Eads.

"In our first post on this tree, Black Pine/Ponderosa, I suggested calling it a Frankie tree, for the Frankenstein element of splicing two genetics together. And though I’m in danger of sounding like a broken record, I do think grafting has a real place for the long-needled ponderosa, particularly in the case of smaller bonsai sizes."
If you'd like to read more by Michael on this tree, scroll down to the bottom of this post

Cropped for a closer look

 Quoting Michael again... "About four or five years after putting two cleft grafts near the trunk, on older branches, this ponderosa/black pine Frankie tree got potted up for the first time. This is in March 2016. Pretty thin, right?"  

 The Guardian of Laments is Giacomo Pappalardo's name for this superb old European larch (Larix decidua) 

 I have a soft spot for larches, though ours here in northern Vermont are Tamaracks (Larix laricina) and the two shown here are European larch (Larix decidua). Not the same tree, but same genus and similar when it comes to growing and styling. Both before and after Larches shown here are from earlier Bark posts 

 Here's the before and after and it’s a good one. It was no doubt collected from the wild and shows all the signs of great age.  Scroll down for your link to Giacomo Pappalardo timeline for more on this tree

The large hole and deadwood add character. Well aged bark doesn't hurt either 

The ample apex shows age and a job well done. It's not that easy to develop fine branching with such a profusion of buds on larches

BEFORE & AFTER #TWO 

Another European larch. The artist is Will Baddeley. Someone goy lucky and bought this little gem from Will a while back

Here’s what Will Baddeley wrote about this tree in answer to my inquiry… “Ok. I bought it as raw material from Pavel Slovak in the Czech Republic 6 years ago. First two years were spent reducing and strengthening the bottom branch to use as the apex. This was hollowed with a dremel and bent round to compact the tree. No styling at that time as I wanted it strong. This took a year to hold and the tree had almost healed over. It has had two wirings since…”

As you can see, this before and after shows considerable skill in styling and refining 

After the first restyling

After the second restyling

Will's masthead. An artist with a sense of humor

TIME TO MAKE YOU PLANS FOR THE U.S. NATIONAL
Here's your link for information and to sign up

 Speaking of Larches, we plan on bringing several dozen that I've been field growing to this year's U.S. National. Many are fairly raw stock with minimal pruning etc, though there will be some that are partly styled. They range from 10 to 25 years old.  

A daring Bonsai Masterpiece from this year's Kokufu Exhibition. No doubt the work of someone you might call a Bonsai Master. Photo courtesy of Bill Valavanis

I don't think most of us will achieve mastery in the art of bonsai. But I would never deny the possibility. If you're a beginner or relative beginner, then you have a ways to go. And if you're an intermediate student of bonsai, well, then you also have a ways to go. Either way, why not work in that direction. Who knows your hidden potential?
Continued below...

This magnificent Chinese quince (Pseudocydonia sinensis) was a prize winner at the 2013 Kokufu Exhibition and work of someone with a high degree of mastery in the art of bonsai (or perhaps it was handed from master to student to master... every bonsai has its story). Photo courtesy of Phoenix Bonsai Society

Continued from above...
Below are two books that can help you on your bonsai journey. The first is one of the very best we've seen for beginners, and the second is one of the very best we've seen for intermediate bonsai students (two groups that cover about 99% of us)

This gnarled old Trident maple root-over-rock is from the 2018 Kokufu. Another example of bonsai mastery. Photo courtesy of the ever present, tireless and masterful in his own right, Bill Valavanis

 Another masterpiece bonsai from the 2018 Kokufu
This time it's a root-on-rock rather than root-over-rock 
The artist is Masahiko Kimura (The Magician)
the most famous of all the Bonsai Masters
Photo by Bill again

This wonderful new book is one of the very best
beginners bonsai books we've seen
Easy to follow, expertly written, photographed & put together
A Masterpiece in its own right
Only 14.99
(and hardcover no less)
Available at Stone Lantern

 

This great bonsai design book is our number one best seller
and the best we've seen on bonsai design for a very long time
an essential book for anyone who already has 
some bonsai soil under their fingernails 
Available at Stone Lantern

Kokufu Award winning (from Part 1 of the Kokufu Expo) Sargent juniper (looks like a Shimpaku variety). No argument on my part with this choice. To my eyes it expresses power, dynamism, balance, great points of interest (eg the big twist, the little see thru holes, etc), age, just the right pot... everything you might want in a bonsai.  I cropped Bill Valavanis' original photo for a closer look (see below)

When Bill Valavanis goes to Japan you can except great photos. Lots of them! Especially when he's there for his annual Kokufu tour. We just picked Part 1 prize winners for today, but we'll have more soon. Still, they'll only be a fraction of the ones Bill posted. You can to visit his blog for the rest. It's a click well worth making (scroll down for your link)

No matter the show, sometimes the prize winners make sense to me, but sometimes I don't quite get it.* In this case, two of the four fall into that 'don't quite get it' category. Stay posted and I'll feature some of my favorites soon

*No insult intended to the artists, owners or the wisdom of the Kokufu judges, I take full credit for any fault in judgement

Part 1 Kokufu Award winning Trident maple. Though there's a lot to like here, especially the ramification, still this one doesn't quite knock my socks off. At least in this photo (I cropped it for a closer look, Bill's original is below).

I like the full, flowing feel of this Japanese white pine, but it's not one I'd choose (it's another Part 1 prize winner). Primarily because the foliage hides the most of the tree's bones (aka trunk and lower branch structure) and most of the rock as well. I always thought this was a no-no in bonsai, but I'm still learning and conventions and tastes don't stand still

I cropped the photo above for a closer look through the gaps in the foliage. Now you can better see some of the branching and a piece of the trunk. You can almost see the rock a little better too

 
Winner of the best Shohin Display for Kokufu Part 1 

Close up of the right part of the display. No argument here, though I  also liked the other Shohin shots Bill took

Bill's original shot of the prize winner (with companion) that's at the top of the post

Bill's original of the prize winning Trident maple

 I'm not sure if this Suiseki is a prize winner, but it looks good to me

Bill's close up

Here's you link to Bill's blog where he numerous of great photos from Kokufu and elsewhere

Bill again. The time it's his 7th U.S. National (North America's Kokufu). Coming this fall. Time to make you plans!

This is what two priceless bonsai look like at night sitting in the middle of the road that leads to the Pacific Bonsai Museum

From the Best News We've Heard All Day desk...
STOLEN BONSAI RETURNED! The Pacific Bonsai Museum is pleased to report that the two bonsai stolen from their secure, public exhibition space on Sunday, February 9, have both been mysteriously, miraculously RETURNED to the Museum.

Security guards discovered the pair of bonsai sitting on the road leading to the Museum at approximately 11 pm, Tuesday, February 11.

Here's the Japanese black pine that was stolen and miraculously returned 
It was grown from seed in a tin can by a Japanese American
while he was in an interment camp during World War II

And here's the other, a Silverberry that has been a bonsai since 1946
and was originally created by Kiyoko Hatanaka, who happened to be a woman 
A genuine a rarity in the Japanese bonsai community at the time

A piece of the Pacific Bonsai Museum with a little perspective

On First Seeing a U.S. Forest Service Aerial Photo of Where I Live
by James Galvin (from the Museum's facebook timeline)
All those poems I wrote
About living in the sky
Were wrong. I live on a leaf
Of a fern of frost growing
Up your bedroom window
In forty below

I live on a needle of a branch
Of a cedar tree, hard-bitten,
Striving in six directions,
Rooted in rock, a cedar
Tree made of other trees,
Not cedar but fir,

Lodgepole, and blue spruce,
Metastasizing like
Bacteria to the fan-
Lip of a draw to draw
Water as soon as it slips
From the snowdrift’s grip.

And flows downward from
Branch to root — a tree
Running in reverse.
Or I live on a thorn on a trellis —
Trained, restrained, maybe
Cut back, to hold up.

Those flowers I’ve only heard of
To whatever there is and isn’t
Above.

For more great photos and perhaps more great poems, visit the Pacific Bonsai Museum on Facebook. Or even better you could just visit the Pacific Bonsai Museum

This Trident maple's (Acer buergerianum) massive nebari is a dead giveaway that it was field grown before it was moved to a container

I once read a report from Cornell University about the advantages of planting trees directly into the native soil, rather than the common practice of digging in soil amendments, a practice that may be good for the garden center’s bottom line, but not always so good for your plants (the Cornell report is in reference to landscape planting, though the same idea might apply to field growing bonsai).

If you think about it, it makes sense; if you create a pocket of richer soil, then the roots tend to stay in that pocket. Over the long run this causes slower growth and increased susceptibility to drought and winter kill. This is especially true with landscape planting and in cases where you want your field grown bonsai to grow unimpeded for a few years to achieve rapid thickening of the trunk 

This doesn't mean you shouldn't mulch, which is different than creating pocket of rich soil. Just apply about a 3 inch deep layer of mulch in a fairly wide circle around the trunk (or throughout your field growing area) and it will help keep down weeds, keep the soil warmer in the winter and cooler and hold water better in the summer, and provide nutrients to the roots as it breaks down. Over the years the result will be richer soil and healthier plants

The same goes for top fertilizing. You can apply it to the surface of the soil and the nutrients will leach down to the roots
Continued below...

The same Trident maple fifteen years earlier, right after it was dug from the field. At this point the nebari measure 20" (51cm) at its widest point. This photo and the one above are from Bonsai Today issue 64

Continued from above...
There are exceptions of course, the obvious one being if you have soil that is toxic or drains so poorly that it renders growing almost anything impossible. Then building new soil before you start planting is essential (raised beds can be a good solution). And also a lot of work. Fortunately most landscapes already have adequate soil

We're lucky. Our soil is fairly sandy and we're on a hillside, so there’s no worry about drainage; it can rain as much as it wants 

Digging a field grown Japanese Black Pine. From Bonsai Today, issue 75

 Here's another powerful Trident maple 
that looks like it was originally grown in the field
The artist is German Gomez