Exhibit Critique – Ryan Neil

I found these on You Tube, via ‘ofbonsai Magazine’.

I loved them and I’m sure everyone watching them will find them interesting. They show Ryan Neil doing a tree critique at the Mid West Bonsai Society Show. Each one is over 30 minutes long but they fly through. Very interesting to hear a Westerner balancing what he has learned in Japan with what he likes in Western Bonsai.

Well done also to the Mid West Bonsai Society for putting on an excellent show for us to see. Isn’t the internet fantastic? 🙂

Just click on the images below to see the videos on You Tube.

Part One

Part 2

Golden Escallonia

This is another Escallonia I have my eye on. Again, it’s in my Dad’s garden. Problem with this one is that he really likes it! Up until last Winter it was a big full colourful tree filling an awkward corner where little else would grow due to the wind. As well as having a yellow foliage it has a dark pink/purple flower. A big contrast to the green leaves and pink flowers you usually expect with Escallonia.

And then disaster struck, well for my Dad, not for me 🙂 The extreme and prolonged low temperatures of last Winter took it’s toll and much of the tree died back. My Dad is attempting to salvage it. As you can see below, he has cut it back hoping it’ll come back like the other two I have cut back in his garden. After a few months things aren’t looking much better. I think an offer of a new one of the same variety to replace it might just do the trick 🙂