Sep 29 2011

Peter Warren @ Willowbog Part 1

Now that I’ve shared photos of the Willowbog Collection, I’ll move on to some photos taken on the Saturday during a workshop with Peter Warren.

As a spectator, I was able to float about and get some nice shots of the action. Here’s the day in pictures.

Peter talking to yet another Peter about the options on his raw material Larch. At least this Peter wasn’t wearing crocs, an abnormality on the weekend 🙂

Dave gets to work on his yamadori Common Juniper cascade. Don’t adjust your screens, he really was that tanned!!

Mr Snart surveys the tree in question.

Janice talks to Peter about her little juniper seeking advice.

Roberts workshop tree, a little Chinese Juniper.

Thinning out before Robert gets wiring.

Further discussions about Peters Larch.

Steve gets stuck into a little Larch, one of several trees brought along for tweaking.

Everyone gets to work.

My favourite workshop photo of the weekend. Willowbog head buck cat watches proceedings 🙂

Alan, a local artist, took a quick sketch of Peter working on Dave’s Juniper. Note his great portrayal of the crocs 😉

Work finished for now on the Common Juniper. This tree was in amazing health as all Dave’s trees seem to be. The growth at the apex has been refined but extension growth at the cascading tip has been left long to allow branches to thicken.

This beautiful cascade with unusual deadwood reminded me of a juniper I had seen in a book or magazine a few years back. Peter Snart was able to show me a photo of it that evening. Of course I can’t now remember who owned it. Was it a Dutch of Belgian guy?

Final tweaking on Robert little Shohin Juniper.

A busy day with a lot of trees receiving different work to suit to the needs of the tree and the owner. Peter is quick to pass on advice on the future care and techniques required for each tree to allow it to reach it’s maximum potential. I was interested to see that he wanted each participant to get what they needed from each tree, not what he, as teacher, could have imposed. A different approach to others that I’ve seen. It certainly makes the participants more involved with the design. In some cases options were left on trees to allow the individual to make a decision in their own time.

Sep 28 2011

Willowbog Collection Part 3

Part 3 of 3 to finish off Peter’s trees. I’m sure there are others I missed, you’ll have to go there and see them for yourself 🙂

A few additional comments about the trees can be read in the comments.

A few tucked away in the Poly Tunnel including this Taxus Cuspidata

Ulmus Glabra

Pinus Mugo.

Ulmus Glabra Raft

Beech Raft

One of the first trees collected when started out in bonsai back in 1805 😉 a Sycamore.

Pinus Sylvestris

And finally the man himself, Peter sitting on his ‘Captain T. Kirk’ chair. One thing I did notice over the weekend, Bonsai Artists called Peter tend to wear Crocs!!

Sep 27 2011

Willowbog Collection Part 2

Following on from my last post, here’s a few more from Peter’s collection.

Chinese Elm with beautiful mature bark.

Japanese Maple

Siberian Elm, originally an air layer.

Japanese White Beech, I think!

Pinus Sylvestris

Hemlock Group

Part 3 to follow……

Sep 27 2011

Willowbog Collection Part 1

Here are a few of Peter’s own collection. This is also referred to locally as ‘Mr Greedy’s Collection’.

Starting off with my favourite, This big Spruce is a beauty. I kept going back to see it every few hours.

Larch Raft

Hemlock

It was brought in to the workshop area to grace the Tokonoma on the Saturday.

Beech

Hawthorn

Maple Clump

Hemlock

Part 2 coming soon.

Sep 26 2011

Fantastic weekend at Willowbog

I had a fantastic time at Willowbog Bonsai this weekend. Peter and Jean, thanks for having me about the place, your kindness, generosity and friendship is greatly appreciated. I shall try and do justice here to my Willowbog experiences over the weekend. I don’t think all my photos would fit in one post 🙂 I fully intend to milk it for the rest of the week.

I must also say thanks to Peter Warren. I was officially only a spectator for the two days but I felt included in the workshops. More on the workshops in later posts.

To finish off, I’ll share some photographs of Willowbog Farm.

Pointing the way to Willowbog.

Not many trees in these few but I can assure you, the next post will take care of that 🙂

Sep 24 2011

Hawthorn Air layer Update

This is the layer that I took off the previously posted Hawthorn last year. I lifted it in to the garage on Thursday to remove unwanted shoots.

This is probably closer to the final potting angle.

I know it doesn’t look like it, but there is some pretty good movement in the trunk line of this tree. The Spring foliage was shortened back in June after it flowered. The new shoots you see are all on a chop made in the middle of the tree. These will all have to be removed as this will have to be carved away.

This was it after removing the unwanted branches. I left the low branch on, I think this might make a nice feature.

This is the stump for carving. By the feel of the pot and how steady the tree is, I think there is sufficient roots for this work to be carried out during the Winter.

Considering I was going to just chop this off and bin it, I’m glad I waited for an Air Layer. I have another big Hawthorn that I now plan to layer next Spring.

Sep 23 2011

Off to Willowbog….

That me off to Willowbog Bonsai for the weekend 🙂

Peter has kindly offered for me to spend the weekend with him and Jean watching the Peter Warren Workshops.

One thing I can say about bonsai, it has introduced me to many good friends around the world. Many I haven’t met face to face, but hopefully, as the years go by, I will rectify that 🙂

Click below to see what I’ll be watching.

Sep 22 2011

Rearranging for Autumn Colour

I have moved a few of my trees around so I can appreciate the changing Autumn Colour.

This is the view from my living room window. I wanted to shift out the trees that were past their best, Hawthorn etc, and replace with a few that should give me a nice spread of colour over the next month or so.

Among this lot are 2 Trident Maples, 3 Japanese Maples, a Fuji Cherry, a Beech, a Raulii, A Japanese Larch, a Gingko, a Crab Apple , a Cotoneaster and a Korean Hornbeam. I think that should do the trick 🙂

I had a nice moment today when chatting to a club member. He rang to book a workshop place and in conversation he told me that after seeing my display area above, he went home and over the Summer has been putting up some reed screening to making more of an effort with his own display. I love hearing stuff like that. 🙂 I’m invited down for a look as well. Looking forward to that.

Sep 21 2011

Beginners Blog

I always like to plug other peoples blogs and I thought I would share this one with you.

Dean, also known as Halo on Wee Trees, has recently started this blog to track his bonsai exploits. His first few articles have been excellent. Keep them coming Dean. Pop over to his blog for a look by clicking the image below. I’ve also added him to my bonsai friends list on the right.

Oh, Just ignore him posing with his top off. (That should get a few ladies checking 🙂 )

Sep 21 2011

Hawthorn Update

This Hawthorn was repotted in the Spring after being the parent plant of an air layer removed last year. I gave it fee growth this year to help it establish roots. Like most of my Hawthorn here, it has come into Autumn early. Only a few tip green leaves remain on some of this seasons late shoots.

The story of how this tree was air layered can be read here. Hawthorn Air Layer

Most of the branches produced this year are now too thick and stiff to position with wire into a desirable shape. Others are in the wrong place. These, for example, are growing from the inside of a bend.

Most of these are unusable as well.

I quite liked this as a possible new front.

I removed the unwanted branches and left those that can still be of use in the design of the tree next year. The area where the air layer had been removed will need carving. It takes away from what is actually nice movement in the tree. Also, some deadwood at the base where old roots had been torn at some point in the trees past.

Now that the tree has become better established in it’s new pot, next year I will direct any new shoots early while they are still flexible. I hope to see plenty of adventurous buds appearing in the Spring.