One of my favourite things to do, is paying private bonsai visits at friends. Without needing to do anything else than relax and do some bonsai talk among other things. Yesterday I had two hours spare time in between actions, and called Martin Nielsen who lived nearby. I am not that often in the area, …
Always a treat to watch the new tender spring maple leafs open. Changing colour from reddish green to clearer green, showing subtle changes almost daily. Timing There can be some days or even weeks between pieces of the same specie starts the seasonal growth. Most is controlled by light and temperature. Or simply due to …
The past weekend I enjoyed doing Shohin workshops and a bonsai demo in Poland. Teaching brings great joy when students are engaged and wants to learn. Bringing forward the level of bonsai relies on good students asking lots of questions. I have now gathered knowledge through 25 years of mistakes growing bonsai. And mistakes are …
Four days in Poland at Bonsai green day´s takes an end. The PAB, Marek Gajda and all his helpers have done a great job including attracting a lot of visitors. Meeting old friends and making new may sound like a cliché. But this is how it works and makes it worthwhile traveling around the world …
Recently the Bonsai Focus magazine published the article of the Juniper chinensis styled for Bonsai Empire online Shohin course. I am really looking forward to develop this tree for the future. Normally I have a little resistance against these very uniform on a row developed bonsai imported in stacks. This one found it owns spirit …
The repotting season has started. Deciduous Shohin bonsai are lined up. Where repotting is needed it is executed now. It is time just before the leafs opens, showing full activity in the tree. Only trees that have a rootball making a health problem are repotted. Or when a new pot is a priority because of …
Happy back from the Trophy in Genk, Belgium. Being the 20th big show in a row, the Trophy is a benchmark in the European bonsai world. As previous shows Japanese bonsai are still filling a lot of the space in the exhibition. Also very large heavy bonsai seems to be preferred over middle sized and …
February 8 – 9 – 10 the famous Trophy in Belgium takes place. Bonsai Empire has a stand in the main hall where you can watch live mini demos Saturday and Sunday. I will be “on stage” Saturday at 12:00 with a talk about Shohin bonsai, and again Sunday at 12:00 with a lecture about …
Video No 3 in the series concentrating on deadwood. An old Crabapple need redesign, after the center roots have died and killed important branches. Deciduous trees need another approach to deadwood design, and the first steps are taken towards a new future of an old bonsai. View the story at the Bonsai Video Studio. …
Step by step. Little by little. Juniper development is rewarding as time goes. Keeping Junipers healthy growing demands keeping fingers and avid tweezers away from pinching foliage. Don’t pinch Junipers Following rigidly the most important (probably) learning experience about developing Junipers. Not ever pinching Junipers, is the sentence every bonsai grower should repeat daily before …
