In Training – Final Push

Stephen Voss is a photographer based in Washington, DC and has been photographing bonsai for the past year at the National Bonsai Museum & Penjing Museum in DC.

He wants to make a book of the photographs and I could really use your help. He is nearly there and just needs a final push to reach his target.

You can see more about the project here:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/131074671/in-training-a-book-of-bonsai-photographs

If you find the project interesting, he’d love to have your support.

He’d also very much appreciate if you would share this within your bonsai community if you think it would be of interest.

You can also see the project on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InTrainingBonsaiBook

Sep 17 2015

Crab Apple

Aug 27 2015

Final Preparation for Accent Workshop

Spent a little time today getting ready for the accent workshop I’m hosting at my home this Saturday 1pm to 5pm.

I’ve polished off my powerpoint which I’m delighted with and selected examples from my own collection to illustrate.

I have gathered up suitable plants for the workshop and selected some for my demos.

I even have some Magic Accent pots available.

I have space left if you are local and interested. If you don’t know your shitakusa from your kusamono or your kokedama from you nearai, then this is for you 🙂

Workshop includes plants potting mix etc and is a steal at £25 for the day. I’ll even feed you tea and biscuits!

Aug 15 2015

Kusamono & Accent Workshop

In an effort to further the knowledge and interest in kusamono I’m holding a workshop on Saturday 29th August starting at 1pm.

The session will look at accents in general and specifically kusamono, shitakusa and kokedama (mossballs). We will look at examples of kusamono, how they are displayed and how plantings work when displayed with bonsai. Participants will be able to select their own plants on the day, indeed the workshop cost of £25 includes 4 plants (to a max value of £20) from a large selection available! Can’t do better that that!! Feel free to bring your own plants to supplement your options and any pots you want to try. I will also have a selection of Magic Ceramic Pots available for anyone keen to add to their collection.

Workshop open to all, tea and coffee available all afternoon, sign up via bonsaieejit@gmail.com for a fun informal session and walk away on the day with your own special creation.

Some of the plantings on display

Shitakusa: Hosta ‘Surprised by Joy’

Kusamono created at recent demo at Greenmount.

Kusamono created Spring 2015

Kokedama Ferns

A small selection of the plants available at the workshop, selected for their suitability for this type of planting and in most cases hard to find at run of the mill garden centres.

Aug 2 2015

Roses Grow on You

The other day Stephen and I did a little propagation of some mini roses in a cutting session. About 6 varieties in total I think with the very tasty super mini getting multiplied 😉

If all goes well I’ll have a nice stock of these next year.

Aug 1 2015

Image

Spirea

Jul 31 2015

Off to Greenmount Tomorrow

Spending the next two days at a club event up at Greenmount Horticultural College in Antrim. A small exhibition of trees for the public along with rolling demos and talks. If the weather holds it should be a good day out. The Walled Garden which hosts us on campus id stunning. Took a few snap the other day when I was up measuring space in the new building that we’ll be using.

What a great spot this will be.

Jul 31 2015

Chinese Elm Airlayer

This Chinese Elm came into my care last year. It had been doing well for a few years and then it had a major bad episode and lost all the bottom branches. All that was left was a nice base, a long straight bit then a few branches at the top. I repotted it out of the original poor soil. After a few months it had leafed out again but was never going to make a convincing tree without lower branches. I spoke to the owner and suggested air layering the top off it and then creating a better tree from the base. Fair play to him, he agreed. I left the layering until March this year and a few weeks back I checked the progress.

Signs of decent roots in the layer.

After removal

Potted up The base had produced some new branches low down due to the layering process, I gave these a very basic wiring to get them going in the right direction. Two trees from one.