Hello all and thank you for the continuing support of my outdated and neglected blog. For those of you who still care (or if you jumped ship and happen to see this I still love you) or if you’ve been left in the dark I hope to clear things up in this post. I recently (2 months ago) returned from an 8 year apprenticeship with my master Shinji Suzuki. It was an honor and great privilege learning from one of the best in the business and I continue to wonder how I got so lucky, but luck turned into hard work and now it is beginning to pay off here in California, the place I’m calling home for the time being. As a major transition thus far in my life, I hope you guys can forgive me for slacking off and not doing any posts since I’ve been back, getting…

I remember the days when moss was the enemy. The idea was that moss impeded water penetration, or kept the pot too wet. So it was a surprise when I was an apprentice that Mr. Suzuki encouraged moss to grow on the soil, and I discovered there were some advantages to having it there.

Shredded sphagnum moss on top of volcanic soil (akadama/pumice) at 1/8-1/4″ thickness, with shredded live moss added to inoculate. I often add ink to it so it’s not straw colored while the moss gets established. Be sure you use true sphagnum moss, not peat moss. Peat moss is rotted sphagnum, and tends to be water repellent when dry. The best sphagnum to use is sold often as ‘orchid’ moss, and is straw colored and is like a sponge when sprinkled with water.

If applied in the early spring around repotting time, a carpet of live moss…

The 2104 Nashville Regional Bonsai Expo will be held on July 12-13^th at the Cheekwood Botanical Garden, in Nashville, Tennessee. Over 50 bonsai from the southeast will be displayed along with kusamono.

Guest artists for the event are Jim Doyle, Young Choe and Owen Reich who also heads the event. In addition to lecture/demonstrations by Jim Doyle and Young Choe, two kusamono classes will be conducted along with a collected Engleman spruce workshop. A bonsai refinement workshop will also be offered. Jim Doyle will conduct a critique of the displayed bonsai and Young Choe will critique the kusamono.

Jim Doyle

Confirmed vendors for the sales area include: Fedducia’s Bonsai, Bellota Enterprises, MC Squared Ceramics, Glass Art by Jacob, Kusa Farm, Bonsai Unearthed, Lynnwood Gardens, Turnbull Creek Bonsai, Nature’s Way, The American Bonsai Society, Cedar Bog Bonsai, New World Horticulture and International Bonsai.

Young Choe

The general…