The snow has finally melted!

Well almost two weeks after one night of heavy snowfall, the temperatures have risen, we have had a little rainfall, and the snow and ice has disappeared! My trees planted out in the ground are again visible and appear no worse off for the experience. Spring will be, like last year, another nervous wait to see what emerges unharmed!

Bonsai Book Review #5

This week I will have a look at –

Collingridge Handbook of Bonsai, the - by, Anne Swinton

This book was given to me as a gift from a family member who spotted it in a charity shop. The first edition of this book dates back to 1982, so this is a slight problem to begin with, but only in that some of the techniques may be outdated by today’s practices. The book is of a decent size, and is crammed full of page after page of useful information. This book unlike others relies less on imagery and more on text. This is not to say it has no pictures, because it does have a number of colour photos illustrating various different bonsai. Where techniques are discussed the author has chose to use more diagrams than photos to help explain this point. This is not a problem at all though, as the diagrams are easy to follow and pleasing to look at. Spread, seemingly randomly, throughout the book are examples of the authors bonsai trees, complete with a description. The description of each includes their origins, styling choices, growth characteristics, and their dimensions also. With the description of each there is also a photo to accompany this. Whilst the styling progression is discussed, it might have been useful to include perhaps some earlier pictures of the tree, so the viewer could see the visual progression themselves.

There is a useful section which gives a rough month by month annual guide to caring for bonsai. This discusses what techniques are generally undertaken at specific times of year and to what species this is done. This can be a useful guide, especially to beginners, however care must be taken in simply following it, as considerations should be made to differing climates, and species. The book includes the usual plant glossary at the back which looks at suitable species for use as bonsai, however this again take a text format as opposed to using pictures or photos. As I already mentioned the fact the readers climate may differ from the authors, this is dealt with at the back of the book, in terms of over-wintering. The author discusses different scenarios of how to help over-winter bonsai depending on different climates. This is a helpful addition to make the book accessible to more people.

In summary, this book is very good, it is more of a “reading” book as opposed to a instruction manual, that said, I found it very enjoyable to reads through and took many new ideas from it. For the price that was paid, as a second-hand book there was not really much that could go wrong, and so it takes pride of place on my bonsai book shelf.

Bonsai Video of the Week #7

This week we have episode 8 from the second series of Lindsay Farr's World of Bonsai. This episode has a really in-depth look at some techniques associated with Lingnan Penjing bonsai, with some excellent trees on display!

Enjoy :)

Winter Weather

So this weekend the snow finally hit our area. On Friday night we had over a foot of snowfall, and it looks as if it is here to stay probably for a few weeks now, with consistent low temperatures! It is the most snow I have ever seen in our area and it has really transformed the look of the town. I have mentioned before that looking for inspiration for your bonsai within the naturally nude forms of the deciduous trees in winter is very useful. This seems to have been made even better by the snow, which sits either side of the branches, framing them so you can see the fine branch structure even better. I just hope the snow and very low temperatures aren't too much for some of my trees, only time will tell.

Here is a shot I took yesterday at a local park. It shows how somewhere I would normally take for granted has been transformed into something quite beautiful.

Bonsai Book Review #4

This week I will be looking at:

Bonsai Basics – by, Colin Lewis

This is a really great little book, it is quite a small format, yet it is absolutely packed with useful information. It is billed as a “comprehensive guide to care and cultivation” and it is exactly that. The majority of the book is spent looking at almost every aspect you can think of for the care and maintenance of bonsai trees. With each subject, been given ample room, to fully explain all the necessary components. It is written in a very clear and easy to read way, and the bright pictures found throughout the book provide added interest and inspiration for your own work. A useful section is the “buying a bonsai” section, this section looks at what to look for in potential material, but possibly more important, what not to look for. This allows beginner and less experience enthusiasts to begin to understand “undesirable” traits which potential stock may possess, which may in turn mean the tree will never be a good bonsai. It talks through, in detail, the fertilisation of bonsai, and the necessary nutrients that trees need in general. This is also a good explanation of the NPK values of fertilisers and exactly how each of these elements relates to the tree and what effects they produce. To accompany this section there are some useful diagrams that show the annual feeding schedule for different types of fertiliser. These diagrams could be easily re-produced to provide the enthusiast with their own chart to follow for their trees in the early years of the hobby.
Also included in the book, is a very good “tree directory”, this is basically a species guide. Similar to many other bonsai books, the species guide section can be a very useful one indeed. To be successful they must be clear and concise and easy to navigate. This is no exception in this particular book. Included with each tree species are 3 different symbols, these symbols relate to how hardy the species is, how easy it is to cultivate as bonsai, and what level of light it requires. These symbols make it very easy to access suitable species very quickly, and give the reader a quick idea of the trees general requirements. Each species has a picture of a bonsai to again give the reader an idea of what one may look like.
In summary, I really like this book. Its small format makes it an ideal pocket book for the beginner to even carry around nurseries when looking for suitable trees, and its ease of use would suite this role too.

ISBN- 978-0-600-61213-1

Bonsai Video of the Week #6

This week we have another video from Graham
Potter at Kaizen Bonsai. Graham works on a Taxus Baccata (English Yew), to illustrate what can be achieved from fairly easily available stock. A good video, and one that will have you eyeing up your neighbour's plants should they want to get rid of them!

Enjoy :)

360° Bonsai Viewing

It recently came to my attention that a new form of media for viewing bonsai over the internet had come about. The technology is quite a common one and one that many people will see daily on sites selling products. The technology is used to allow the viewer to move an object around to view all of it's angles. This is obviously important when selling products so the customer can get a better idea of how exactly the product looks. However, this could also be a very useful tool for bonsai enthusiasts, allowing them to see a 3D view of a tree and move, by their own will, around the tree, to see every angle. There will be some critics of this I am sure, some may say that bonsai should only be viewed from a set angle. I feel this could be useful to people trying to seek help with bonsai however, allowing others to evaluate the tree and then more easily provide help and advice. I am very excited about how this can be evolved and used in bonsai, the example below was just a tester really to try the technology so apologies for the relatively poor image quality.

Bonsai Book Review #3

For this weeks book review I will be looking at

Choosing and Growing Bonsai – by, Peter Chan

The author of this book, Peter Chan is a renowned bonsai artist with some very famous trees. He now owns a bonsai nursery in the South of England called Herons. This book is one of a number of books he has written. The reason I bought this book was because when flicking through it in the shop I was impressed with the extensive species guide in this book. In fact, the majority of the book is dedicated to species guides for a large number of trees.

The first section of the book offers a condensed overview of bonsai. Like most books it discusses where bonsai began and how it has evolved to today’s standards. Whilst these sections are an interesting read the first time, once you have a number of books on your shelf it quickly becomes apparent that you are reading the same “story” time after time. This book deals with the subject well though without going to in-depth. It also talks about getting started, choosing bonsai, and brief look at the differences between indoor and outdoor bonsai.

After this initial section, the real “meat” of the book begins. The next section is split into four distinct areas. The species guide is set out into “outdoor coniferous bonsai”, “outdoor broadleaf bonsai”, “outdoor flowering bonsai”, and “indoor bonsai”. This makes navigating this section very easy, and finding a specific species less of a task. Each section has a good selection of species contained within each. Every species has a double page spread which contains lots of information about their specific culture and special techniques needed. There are accompanying pictures to illustrate each species and give the reader an idea of what a bonsai of that species may look like. There is a particularly good section on Japanese maple where it lists a large number of cultivars and talks through their special needs and characteristics. Overall, this section is a very useful source of species specific data and one that can be looked back on quickly and easily.

The final section of the book looks at the various techniques involved in styling and maintaining bonsai. This section is quite brief in comparison to other books, however the real strength of this book is in the previous species guide section so this can be over-looked I feel. It briefly outlines, pruning, wiring, watering, feeding, and some of the common pests and diseases.

In summary, I feel this is a very concise and easy to use book with some really great info and pictures contained within it. It is of a small format, yet has a multitude of pages to explore. I would definitely recommend this book, purely on the basis of the species guide.

ISBN – 978-0-600-61442-5

Bonsai Video of the Week #5

This week we have episode 6 from the second series of Lindsay Farr's World of Bonsai. In this episode he visits Southern China, Foshan, and looks at some very interesting Chinese Penjing bonsai. An interesting watch, with some great trees!

Enjoy :)


Lindsay Farr's WorldOfBonsai series 2 episode 6 from lindsay farr on Vimeo.

Very heavy frosts

Although my area is yet to have any significant snow fall, there has been an extreme drop in temperatures, well below zero. I looked out this morning to see everywhere white again with frost and ice. When I went out to look at some of my larger deciduous trees which are still outside, I found bare branches and twigs literally covered in frost and frozen solid. This is a bit worrying, and I am expecting severe die-back of the areas if the trees survive at all untill next year. I have made some more space in the unheated greenhouse and managed to move a large maple of mine inside. The trees in the greenhouse appear to be staying just above freezing point, and I am continuing to monitor their watering needs.

Bonsai Book Review #2

This week I will be having a look at my favourite book on my shelf 

The Bonsai Book - by, Dan Barton

I bought this book a few years ago whilst wondering around a second-hand book shop. It only cost a couple of pounds and initially I just bought it purely because it was about bonsai. At the time I bought it I had no knowledge of the author as a bonsai artist or the acclaim that this book had amongst the community. I now know, mostly in thanks to this book, a bit more about the work of Dan Barton and some of his famous trees. The book was first published in 1989, and is a larger A4-sized hardback.

The book starts like many others, giving the background to bonsai, talking about where it came from and some of the philosophies it holds. He discusses in depth about how the “soul” of a tree must be discovered before the bonsai can be created. This is a very useful point and you could be mistaken to substitute “soul” for “style”, however I think what he was implying was the character and aspects that make the tree unique must be found and then these worked around in the design. After this, there is a section on where to gather useful material for bonsai. At this point in the book I was already struck by the number of wonderful photographs and hand-drawn diagrams to illustrate each point. Carrying on, pots and repotting procedure is briefly talked about, again, with relevant pictures to help. The next section talks about different compost mixes for different species of bonsai tree, and how to make you own mixes. This is the only section in the book that I feel suffers a little from its age. This, however, is inevitable, with constant new progressions in areas like growing medium, even ideas of less than 10 years ago would seem dated. The mixes stated in the book are still perfectly sound, it is just now that even more effective solutions have been discovered. Then, tools, and general maintenance are dealt with, including, watering, feeding and siting your bonsai.

The next section, is one of the gems of the book for me, it is an extensive look at the different styles of bonsai. First he sets out the “Prime order of 5 styles” which include, formal upright, informal upright, slanting, semi-cascade, and cascade. Each one of these styles has a full description of what makes up the particular style, some suitable species, brief training, pots, and even the general “essence” of the style. After the first 5 are dealt with, he goes on to discuss all other variations on these. This section is a great read, it really gives you an idea of each style, also accompanying each description are examples of bonsai in this style, and diagrams to show you too. If I am looking to produce a specific style I will often read through this section again to get a good feel for what I am trying to achieve.

In the next part the techniques for styling and maintaining bonsai are set out. This chapter, again, contains an extremely useful section, regarding candle pruning of pines. He shows with the use of drawings, how and when to prune the candles on pine bonsai depending on what outcome you wish to achieve, there are a large number of different outcomes discussed. This section is very clear and easy to follow and is used by many enthusiasts to make what appears to be a complicated procedure a bit less daunting. After this, propagation and pests and disease are also displayed. Next there is a large section on case histories. This is a very interesting read, and you can follow a number of different bonsai from raw material to styled bonsai, whilst he discusses the reasons for each step. This section has helped me to see how the styling process runs from start to styling, and gives you insight into how potential in raw stock can be seen. The end of the book looks at associated culture such as accent plants and suiseki.

In summary, this book is without doubt my favourite in my collection. I have enjoyed reading it through many times, and despite its age, still gain new knowledge and ideas from it every time I look. It can be found very inexpensively and in my opinion is a must have for any bonsai bookshelf. Have a look yourself though and make your own mind up.

ISBN – 1-85605-079-3