These are excellent online films giving so many hints and bonsai tips - I find myself hunting through the 40 odd films quite often looking for a section on specific pruning, or on a species etc so I thought I'd put together a set of links with a bit of a description to make it easy to find the right film each time.
Episode 1 - An overview of the Nursery Fujikawa Kouka-en and an insight into what the apprentices do on a daily basis
Episode 2
Energy balancing of Silverberry - Elaeagnus Pungens
Maple pruning in early spring
Day trip to Kyoto - Arashiyama
Episode 3
Juniper Styling - Shimpaku for Kokufu-ten
Cryptomeria - summer maintenance
Episode 4
Hinoki Cypress - Bud pinching & Branch trimming
Day Trip Kyoto
Episode 5
Shimpaku Juniper Refinement - Kifu
Summer maintenance - Dwarf star jasmine
Episode 6
Shohin appreciation and display
Episode 7
Japanese Red & Black pine decandling techniques
Large trees and shohin
Episode 8
Hinoki clump styling - wiring
Visit to japanese restaurant garden
Episode 9
Styling Hinoki formal upright
Day trip kyoto Temples
Episode 10
Japanese White Pine
pad wiring and formation
Identification
Episode 11
Interview with Naoki Maeoka
Styling juniper shimpaku in Bunjingi style
Episode 12
Matching a tree with the correct pot:
Hinoki
Trident Maple
Styling a grafted white Pine
Repotting White Pine
Episode 14
Clump style white Pine
Episode 15 Part 1
Large & Medium bonsai of various species to appreciate
Part 2
Episode 16
Magnolia
Shimpaku
Episode 17
Minoru Fujikawa - founder of Kouka-en
Episode 18
Show refinement for Taikan-Ten
Episode 19
Bunjingi
Episode 20
Carving and cleaning with power tools
Needle juniper
Red Pine
Episode 21
White pine styling
Planting on a slab
Preparing for high end exhibition
Episode 22
Taikan-ten Bonsai Exhibition
Episode 23
American native bonsai
rocky mountain Juniper
Virginia Pine
Ponderosa pine
American hornbeam
Episode 24
Kokufu-ten overview and sales area
Masashi Hirio interview
Episode 25
Japanese Maples - doing it properly
Branch removal and pushing growth back in
Wiring and branch manipulation
Episode 26
Basic repotting
Episode 27
Deciduous maintenance
Pruning, defoliating
Episode 28
Refinement
Junipers
Episode 29
White Pines
pruning, feeding, wiring, pad formation
Episode 30
Kusomono
Interview with Juan Cruz
Episode 31
Taikan-ten 32 exhibition
Episode 32
David Martinez making a small juniper and an interview
Episode 33
Wiring
White Pine
Juniper
Red & Black pine
Episode 34
Shishigashira maple preparation for kokufu
Hinoki Cypress masterpiece preparation
Episode 35
Trident maple defoliation
Episode 36
Spring techniques for alternate leafing deciduous trees
it's puzzling sometimes..........if I watch Rocky 1, Alien, Apocalypse Now,...... Mandy will say "how many times have you seen THIS" yet the other evening The Full Monty is on again and she sits up till the end enjoying every bit
What does that have to do with bonsai..........?
Not a lot -the song is a good stripping and exposure tune, and that is what the Trident group needed this week - I see more wasted & sometimes ruined deciduous trees than conifers due to the growers just keeping them to enjoy the lush canopy of outer leaves rather than understanding the inner buds,shoots and leaves are the future of the tree as they are needed to replace older outer growth. Cutting off the light and airflow from the inside of the tree makes these important inner bits die off - it is the large and dense outer leaves that cut off the light so they have to be dealt with. Some trees will have the outer leaves reduced in number, some will have them reduced in size, and some will have them cut off totally !
This Trident maple forest planting was imported from Japan this winter and leafed out fully while in the sheltered environment of the quarantine polytunnels. I was after two or three good specimen deciduous trees to include with our bread and butter stock and this one was basically a perfect example of its type so had to become part of our stock
25 trunks, very dense leaves, in my personal taste this is perfection. I will be very sad if this tree sells as I'm not sure I could buy another one so good quite so easily.
So now as the current owner it is my duty to maintain and try to improve this tree rather than bugger it up like so many trees are in the years after import. The inner leaves and weak shoots need some light and simultaneously the thicker strong outer growth needs reducing and encouraging to form shorter finer growth (and a by-product is smaller leaves too)
2 1/2 hrs later this shows the way I defoliate tridents (and zelkova) all upper, outer and strong inner growth is removed but the well placed inner areas that are very weak (but needed) in future designs is kept intact. Now the inner bits get 5-6 weeks of sun so they survive and the outside will open the small and dormant buds to give me a finer ramification and even better leaf quality.
One other important point to consider - -- buying deciduous trees should be a winter past time but we are all tempted to wait until they are in leaf - then it becomes a slight unknown where we hope the tree has the suggested ramification that a true specimen bonsai should have - defoliating this one confirmed we have a winner
What happens if you are scared, unsure or unable to care properly for your deciduous bonsai ??
in the blink of an eye they are set back years !!!! this next trident group was originally sold by P. Chan, Herons Nursery and was probably really nice - but poor pruning, no defoliating etc let the inner shoots die out and then the outer growth to get leggy
this is after we've had the tree 9 months and have started forcing the growth back in again but it will be a long time before this group ramifies like the last one....but it will improve month after month and to put it all in context this tree is £160 while the previous group is £1.9k.
Update: The blue pot group has now sold to a friend to continue the process of refinement
The annual Cornwall Bonsai Society bonsai and separate accompaniment plant show is coming up.
Where:
Trellisk Gardens - National Trust property between Truro and Falmouth
Bonsai Exhibition is in the stable block and surrounding area
When:
May 17th & 18th - Saturday and Sunday
Cost:
Entry to Bonsai Show is FREE. makes a refreshing change these days. (To acceess the other parts of the National Trust property there are the usual entry charges. Just paying the car park charge gives access to the upper parkland walks - (Dogs allowed) , coffee shop, gallery, Bonsai exhibit etc.
This is a club members show and will highlight the fantastic diversity of trees and plants we have within the society - there will be Bonsai from shohin or even mame up to specimen large trees. Japanese trees & native trees will make up the displays and a large selection of unique accent plants, bonsai accompaniment plantings and other seasonal plants used in display and for appreciation- I expect there will be over 100 individual plants & trees to see.
I'm not sure what to take yet but this one is looking nice and has never been used there before.
If my table is going down the deciduous route we need a bit of contrast in colour and style so maybe this one as well ?
Then i hope to fit in a 3rd smaller and very unusual species
May bank holiday was a busy one - tree time had arrived. We had one big online push to sell as much of last years stock as possible and the benches were looking a bit sparse so a proper buying trip was in order.
Midnight Thursday - 3 hrs in bed then get the trailer ready
This was the biggest box trailer I could find and once I got the indicator working !! it was ready to go.
525 miles later.......................
Starting to select some nice trees, but still space so keep on buying (I need a few more customers just like me haha)
The next 2 days were bonsai filled with a fantastic group of enthusiasts from the local area. We had open workshops with lots of trees to talk about, style, re-style and tweak. The standard of the club members trees were very high - the influence of their local supplier (Dougie) bringing in excellent stock was clear to see - I think this club has the best collective standard of trees I've seen on my travels to clubs across the UK.
All too soon it was time to point the car South and start the long careful drive home. Got home about midnight, fell into bed and then up early to unpack the trailer - even before breakfast was cooked ! - all keen and excited or what .
someone was maybe having a bad day
What did I buy ? - a bit of everything I think
Acers, pines, junipers, white beeches, cork elms, zelkovas, crepe myrtle, quinces, azaleas, some native stuff too - spruce, yew, pines, birch, blackthorn, cherry, and more.
This is (was) the best pair of specimen Fagus Crenata for sale at a realistic price in the country. In fact I've never been in a bonsai nursery here in over 20 yrs and been able to chose between 2 such trees
The tree on the left £3500, the tree on the right £2000 - (This one sold last night, 3 days after getting back) so now I don't have the best pair for sale in the Uk as there's only one !
I have a soft spot for white beech - my first one - bought in niaivity many years ago, was a european seed grown tree so would never go white in a million years, the bark is smooth, greeny grey and the leaves are massive. That one was traded back with the original seller for a pot ! and tree 2 was acquired - A guy from Greece really wanted it so off it went. Tree 3 was the group and that also found its way into a trade for another tree. Now we have the chance to request and order specific trees from Japan it makes it slightly easier to source trees of supreme quality
tree 1 - £2000.00 simply stunning and sold within 72 hrs
Tree2 rrp £3500 as it is - plans are that the tree will enter my bonsai collection for a few years so it can be refined to bonai show readiness (unless a customer twists my arm a long way) Top will be pruned harder, middle a little and the bottom branches which are always weak on these left to develop more - this picture shows the trees habit perfectly - too much top, weak bottom - must be treated properly or you end up with a leggy tree with a few leaves on the ends of long bare branches - never buy a neglected one unless it is very cheap and you have 10 years spare to recover it
Back to the new stock - lets see what else caught my eye
What can you say........25 trunk Trident maple, very natural - it invites you in with superb depth of field. The crossing trunk - in days of old I'd have pulled it across with a guy wire but now I think it adds a natural feel to the planting. In winter image I may move it if the image does not gel. £1950.00 Delivered in UK
Lovely Acer Palmatum £2400 - Trunk and nebari quality is very high - thats the important bit to concentrate on when buying a good tree as the branches and ramification are much easier to develop. This is a good piece of specimen material to work on and improve - the top could be reduced a bit, the middle thinned and then the bottom branches will fill out more. I plan to give the tree a quick boost with some of the strength building tonics and fertiliser products we have here and then a few weeks later defoliate - the Trident group above will have the same treatment - absolutely essential to keep the trees that dense and not drop the inner growth
Deshojo's - £65, £75, £600 - (front left sold)
This is a grown up Deshojo showing off but ready for another prune - NFS
Palmatum triple trunk coming on OK, £495.00 - A tree we've worked on for a couple of years and I've been pruning hard to generate some lower shoots to add a few more branches - now it is working this type of material increases in value quickly each season - material like this is always worth snapping up before the price reaches the finished value - NOW SOLD
Many more Acers here too - material from £5 to £95 available - ONLY 1 CLAY POT TREE LEFT
Azalea bonsai are about to come into their own with a seasonal display of colourful flowers
Large tree with lovely taper £450
Curvy tall satsuki's that will soon be smothered in pink and white flowers £350 each
Micro Satsuki's too - perfect for the shohin enthusiast of to add a little class and colour to a rock planting £65 - £70 each - BOTH SOLD
Crenata white beech 03 & 04 £150 each - great trees, first prune will follow when the leaves harden off
What a bad boy !! Crepe Myrtle - flowering semi hardy tree that needs winter protection and does really well in the west country climate. A true specimen tree in every sense .....age, size, taper, ramification - all are very good - £2800.00
A couple of clearance trees - beech raft looking great but I need the space SOLD
Trident group that missed a bit of pruning and grew out. We've repotted and started harder pruning - inner shoots forming well now but another tree taking up valuable space so £175 collected gets the tree SOLD
I may airlayer the tops out of the 5 main trees in a few weeks unless the tree sells
I think we'll stop this post with the broadleaf trees and make part 2 the conifers, part 3 will need to be more native stock and raw material trees
email info@aqualabs.co.uk or call Marcus on 07855 300789 for details, to arrange a viewing or to reserve any trees - We will soon be taking orders and requests for specific trees from Japan - this service is suited to specimen material for people who know what they want - £1000 min deposit at time of request to show commitment. Email requests and we will advise
We thought...........If you plan on sending trees you need the proper kit to do it right. This evening a crate was built to house 5 nice bonsai that are certainly not shohin - the trees are strapped under tension to the slats and the pallets are formed into a box
in here is a Zelkova, a European black pine, a scots pine, hemlock and hinoki. All are 80-100cm trees that are ready to get to the owner so crating and sending on next day pallet service is the way to go.
Packed, wrapped, on the forklift and ready for the lorry, we use a saturday delivery service when needed so our customers are at home ready to unpack the box of goodies.....Christmas comes every day when you shop at Bonsai@16
Trees now get sent to virtually every European country quite regularly - and to all extremities of the British Isles too - and as these pics show no order can be too large !!
Taking a few pictures yesterday these caught my eye for colour and contrast
Age and maturity in a tree comes from the bark and trunk base - texture, colour, root flare ....all combine to make some trees stand out from the crowd
What's occurring in the bonsai-at-16 back yard ? - treesagreen I guess
lets have a picture post without too much reading
weeping willow in Duffet pot with stunning taper - this is a tree with a great future ahead - very soft wood so 2 coats of lime sulphur that will be followed by a subdued brown stain and then a waterproofing coat. the tree wants to stay wet while growing so the dead wood needs lots of attention. Personal collection tree
Scots Pine - styled at a Peter Adams workshop many years ago - nice natural tree, wire free this year. Potentially for sale
Juniper on rock - for sale, more pics at the end
Our juniper on rock from Kimura - lovely tree and going to improve year on year
side view of the needle juniper, newly styled deadwood juniper (for sale) and the Hinoki - all happy and healthy
Needle juniper- new buds from top to bottom - keep longer growth on lower branches for a healthy balanced tree - one of the hungriest bonsai you can have - feed and water without holding back, let grow to 6-10cm, cut back to 2-3mm , 2nd buds pinch off big ones, keep small ones
Japanese Black Pine - bark forming nicely on the trunk now, colour recovered well now. Tree came here potted in a soil mix of gardening compost / grit that was staying really wet - the pine was not happy in this at all and was weak and leggy with a pale yellowy green foliage. It was only after removing the soil we could see there were hardly any roots on the tree and its taken 3 years to improve the trees colour and strength - We have not decandled the tree at all in this time so the tree hasn't been weakened further.
Dark composty soil and pale needles-danger signs
Slanting driftwood juniper - the compaction and balance is coming - this winter we will do a proper refinement wiring on this one to define the pads - tight growth will be excellent this year as there is hardly a single flower on the tree - its taken 2 1/2 years to get the tree settled so it doesnt flower on virtually every shoot - balanced feeding helps.
A true japanese yamadori juniper (trunk) grafted with Itoigawa foliage - most, nearly all, imported junipers are field grown and trained but once in a while a proper wild one shows up - Tree sulked after a big first styling session and started growing in the 2nd growth period of last year. It has not been repottted although it needs better positioning so the roots are undisturbed and the mature growth will be stronger. Repotting Itoigawa too much results in juvenile foliage everywhere
European Beech raft for sale - £300 - very natural tree
Shin Deshojo just leafing out, NFS, Mikawa Yatsubusa a few weeks ahead £850
Pyracantha - firethorn - a stunning tree from Taisho-en in a very fine pot. Flower buds just forming, lots of strong new growth. We may use this in a winter display so will need to protect the berries from the birds. It is one of the stock trees for sale though so may go to a new home one day
Chinese Elm - been here 25 years - good bark texture and fairly good ramification. Last year we started getting this tree properly show ready for 2015 or 16 so pruning has been tighter, we've not repotted so growth becomes finer but feeding keeps going at full speed - a healthy tree is an easy one to refine
Japanese Yew - had its first styling 2012/13, repotted last spring and POW - serious budding all over. yet again testament to correct feeding, positioning and watering. I saw a few cuspidata yews somewhere else recently that hardly had a new bud on the entire trees - just a few on strongest areas. You cant develop and refine a tree that isn't growing properly. this will be allowed to grow freely for a month or two then pruned back with scissors to a few new leaves - then we'll get back buds and finer terminal buds - the strong ones will be pinched and now we can start making the domed pads. 2 years to find a pot, first ever show debut in 3 yrs or maybe 4
Buds on buds
Satsuki raw trunk - long way to go
This heavy trunk was seriously neglected - it was sat on the ground for a few years, rooted through the pot and all the roots tips were snapped off when the pot was moved (not here!!) I bought the tree as there were tiny leaves and little shoots all the way up the tree showing the crown had not died. All flowers were removed last year, 90% of the flowers have been removed this year and the tree will certainly explode in new growth. In a few years it will be our best azalea.
Zelkova - one of the later trees to bud break here - we have 3 and they are all just starting to move. This is another Kimura tree and chances are it is the only authentic deciduous tree from his garden in Europe. Tree was thinned out of poor shoots and more importantly all the dead twiggy bits and knobbly knuckles were taken off - Dense Zelkova brooms often can have a lot of old dead inner shoots making up a percentage of the ramification but it is far better to get these out so living shoots can grow in the spaces. Will be repotted as soon as the buds show signs of opening. Great tree - I've not seen a broom in real life quite as good
Hornbeam we dug 2 weeks ago is growing like mad - I pinch new shoots daily back to 2 or 3 leaves while they are still soft so the inner shoots develop. The tree needs a fair bit of work - its like a pointed pine at the moment but once I've developed a wider domed crown it will look like a mature deciduous tree - this one is becoming a keeper more and more each day as I think it will pull off a pretty good winter image. I'm looking forward to getting this tree good enough for Swindon show in coming years, unless someone else ends up with it !
Even though big is great this little oriental hornbeam has real charm - for sale £35.00
The recovery of the Kiyohime clump from Dan Bartons bonsai book continues. The tree was sold to another dealer who had it for about 15 yrs at a guess. After total neglect and non existent pruning over those years I ended up acquiring a tree with 2ft long bare branches poking out in all directions. Hard pruning, hard feeding, defoliation and more hard pruning has got the tree down this far but some branches are refusing to bud back where I want them to so the tree is being allowed to grow loads of shoots to be used as grafting material. Late Jan 2015 we'll graft scions all over the tree and cut back the old branch tips once the grafts are taken. Exciting project tree and quite a challenge to recover a lost masterpiece
micro willow x 3 nfs yet !, hornbeam £35, Dwarf Azalea £75 Zelkova 1 sold, No.2 £75, chinese elms £12
Now we have a new stock tree
Large Juniper on rock
Tree originally was part of the Anne Swinton collection, I've had it about 8 or 9 years now and have made this planting after being inspired by the kimura tree. A juniper retains and recovers its strength from its foliage so Ive not stripped the tree bare to make the pads look too tidy. The tree has been potted and had a first styling so there is no point in weakening it further by removing too much greenery. All that needs doing this year is removal of long shoots as they extend
Tree for sale £1650.00 including a refining session on the foliage in 12 months if needed
Will not post this one - too heavy and too fragile but meeting up is always an option.
