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The Bonsai Gallery has just taken delivery of some of the best bonsai we have seen.! All from the private collection of Ian Hearn.
Some bonsai for sale have been on display at the National Bonsai & Penjing Collection of Australia – Arboretum in Canberra.
See what is on offer in the Gallery Shop
Now is the time to do some serious work on refining and balancing growth on Japanese White Pine bonsai. Needle plucking, bud selection and wiring is done now that the spring flush has matured.
Thanks to the foliage balancing done this time last year, through even needle plucking, this seasons growth was very even and produced much smaller needles.
This work needs to be carried out each year to maintain balanced growth throughout the tree and to prevent overly compact growth. It also encourages adventitious budding the following Spring. An added bonus is that the branches are easier to wire after old needles are removed.
I have tried to demonstrate this in the following image. On the right you will see a before and after shot of one bud cluster that has been needle plucked.
The image on the left is the bonsai before any work has been done. I hope to post another image when the work is completed. You can appreciate, though, that if I did not complete this work and allowed another spring flush to grow over the top of this the following year... well the tree would be far too congested, it would start to loose the refinement it already has, and new buds within the branches would start to weaken and die due to lack of light and air circulation.
Back in May last year I posted a similar article about the progress of this old Black Pine, indicating that I would "transfer the tree into a much smaller round pot next Spring".
Well it has been done. The first flush was very strong, due to last years Autumn and Winter fertiliser program. It was removed about 2 weeks ago and is already showing signs of the second flush budding.
The first image here shows the bonsai in it's new, round pot on the far right.
The second image shows where the first flush was cut and the emerging second flush budding.
Looking forward to seeing the second flush form and the inevitable bud selection, wiring and needle plucking in Autumn. !!
Finally got this old fig out of it's training pot and into a more appropriate, smaller and oval pot.
The canopy is over 1.3mtrs wide and needs some refining. About 50% of the foliage removed before re-potting. Tipped out to 2 nodes on each branch.
What a great initiative from one of the worlds greatest bonsai artists.... Bill Valavanis.
"After publishing International BONSAI for 42 years and producing 164 issues, in order to advance classical bonsai art to a broader world-wide audience, I have decided to suspend the printed edition and expand my educational offerings with the introduction of International BONSAI OnLine which is a FREE digital bi-monthly magazine."
The On-line magazine can be accessed from the following link:
https://internationalbonsaionline.com
Thanks to John Cavey (Port Macquarie Club) and Steve Reeve (Central Coast Club) for helping to spread the word.
It is always a bit of 'hit-and-miss' as to when is the optimum timing for this process. The Japanese Black Pine in this image has just been cut. As you can see from the pile of cuttings this is a significant event for these trees.
Vigure balancing last Autumn, continued fertilizing throughout Autumn and Winter, and booster fertilising in Spring and early Summer has produced a good and even first flush. Now we wait for that all-important second flush to produce multiple shoots from all cutting points.!
It is very important to only cut unwanted shoots(bud selection) after the seconf flush has matured.... a job I do along with needle plucking and wiring in Autumn. Then the process starts all over again.!
Last years effort was a real success, as is evedent in the very small one-year-old needles. Another few years of the same will produce very well refined bonsai.
Fingers crossed that the warm weather holds for the next few months.....
For those not familar with the process I have a detailed slideshow and downloadable pdf HERE
I felt that this root-over-rock Trident Maple lacked movement and did not feature the rock and the trunk dynamics enough so I made the decision to remove the large RHS branch.
To me this is a major improvement in the overall quality of this bonsai. The movement in the trunk, and in the overall style, has created more drama and has highlighted the best features of the design.
Bonsai is all about recognizing the best features of your bonsai, building on these features, and going about showing them at their best.
With the 'Root-over-Rock' style it is essential to allow the tree to grow into the style and scale of the rock. I have seen far to many trees 'out-grow' the rock, making the composition look completely out of scale.
This, and all others in the gallery collection, have been grown from cuttings. One year old cuttings have been selected for their long roots and placed around 2/3rds the way up the rock, and allowed to grow into the scale of the rock.
Personally, I have an aversion to planting bonsai on the top of a rock. In old Chinese landscape paintings you see trees growing on the tops of mountains BUT notice the scale.... the 'rock' is a mountain and the trees are small.... and to scale. Many bonsai planted on the top of a rock can never reflect this scale and look 'contrived' (un-natural).
I would be interested in your opinion.!!!
The Directory of Japanese Arts and Culture in Australia is a reference site created by The Japan Foundation, Sydney to introduce currently active Australia-based artists and practitioners of Japanese arts and traditions, as well as organisations. Their aim is to showcase their works, practices and activities to further their recognition and to promote excellence in Japanese art and culture.
For all other 'Japanophiles' out their the Japan Foundation website is a 'must visit' for a range of Japanese inspired arts & culture.
I have recently updated my profile on the website:
"John started his bonsai journey, at an early age, in 1976.
As a self-taught bonsai artist John has developed his knowledge of the cultivation and refinement of bonsai through a long study of art, philosophy and horticulture, turning his hobby of bonsai into a life long passion.
John has had a selection of his bonsai on show at the National Bonsai & Penjing Collection of Australia, at the Canberra Arboretum, on a number of occasions.
Observations in Japan, through an introduction to a number of Japanese bonsai masters, have been inspirational and instructive. These experiences have served to further John’s knowledge and have heightened the realisation that the elements of time and dedication are not only essential but go far beyond a single lifetime of achievement.
John holds Workshops, Demonstrations and ‘Bonsai Tours’ at the Australian Bonsai Gallery in Dorrigo, NSW."
Sad to see this old bonsai go. We have developed this bonsai from a tiny seedling/tube-stock purchased in 1981.
At just over 1mtr high, it presented a bit of a problem for the new owner to transport. Thankfully, the new owner was resourceful enough to custom-build a protective enclosure for the journey to it's new home.
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