Trees are the earth's endless effort to speak to the listening heaven. ~Rabindranath Tagore, Fireflies, 1928
Southern Bonsai Blog
Blog about lessons learned growing bonsai in the South
"What I like about bonsai is that it has a beginning but no end. A bud today becomes a branch tomorrow. --John Y. Naka
Growing potential bonsai in Japan
This article has some fantastic photos of potential pine bonsai growing in the ground in the Kinashi Bonsai District in Japan.
http://bonsaitonight.com/2012/12/21/kinashi-bonsai-district
Two new additions to the National Bonsai Museum
Gifts come in all kinds of forms, and the National Bonsai Museum got a couple of priceless gifts this Christmas in the form of two California junipers. Read all about these additions here:
http://capitalbonsai.wordpress.com/2012/12/15/christmas-comes-early-to-the-bonsai-museum/
Bonsai Art of Japan by Bjorvala Bonsai Studio
For the last few months, I’ve been watching a great series that Bjorn Bjorholm produces from his experiences at Kouka-en bonsai nursery in Japan called Bonsai Art of Japan. So far, 32 episodes have been posted that run about 8 to 10 minutes each. This is an invaluable resource for any bonsai artist, but especially for the beginner. As an added bonus, I found out that Bjorn was born right here in the South.
I usually have a tough time staying still long enough to watch a 10-minute video on the internet, but a few months ago I stuck my exercise bike in front of my computer. I put the bike timer on 10 minutes and watch the video. It’s worked out great for me learning about bonsai and getting some exercise in at the same time. I’ve posted my favorite episode so far below that shows techniques on developing Japanese Maples, but I encourage everyone to start from episode 1 and watch this series.
Southern Bonsai Blog update
I’ve spent some time updating the software on the site and I hope to start blogging again soon. Seems like winter is always the time where I start reading and trying to learn more about the trees that I am busy trying to keep alive in the summer. I’ve read some great bonsai books and watched some great videos. I’ve also taken a couple of trips that I need to share. Not that I’m an expert, but just trying to help further bonsai in North America and my region, the South.
400-Year-Old Bonsai
Interesting report on a Japanese White Pine at the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum in Washington by VOANews.com.