Desert Bonsai

Don't miss the Bonsai-a-thon this weekend at the Huntington Library. It's one of the largest gatherings of the SoCal bonsai community, and a fund raiser for one of the best collections of bonsai that is open to the public. Come for the show, stay for the raffle and the auction!

Baikoen Bonsai Kenkyukai's Winter Silouhette show is my favorite show of the year. Deciduous trees shown bare. It's a rare opportunity to examine the ramification- fine, twiggy growth that develops over years of careful, conscientious pruning. It is ramification that really gives the illusion of an old, full size tree in a good bonsai.

Stolen from a friend... be on the lookout.

Now here is something we don't see too often... snow in the desert! Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Early fall is one of my favorite times in the garden. It's finally cooling down enough to spend time outside again, I don't have to water every day, and between the late summer blooms and the changing leaves, it is the most colorful time of the year. It is also one of the most difficult times of year, along with late spring. People think summer is difficult in the desert, but summer is easy. In summer, I just keep watering. Fall, and spring, I have to keep a constant eye on t...he forecast. I will still have many days in the 90s, and even into triple digits occasionally. I also get extremely dry Santa Anna winds. Both create a need for extra watering. I am also getting early freezes this year, which means deciding which trees need to go into my unheated garage, which ones need just a little bit of protection, and which ones can stay on their benches. Sometimes I will get a hot, dry day, followed by a freeze, followed by another hot, dry day. Keeping a variety of species requires being aware of each one's needs and limitations. This time of year, that means a lot of shuffling around and remaining flexible from day to day to make sure the trees don't dry out, or freeze, or both... but it is worth the effort and the vigilance in exchange for seeing a wide variety of colors, shapes, flowers, fruits, and textures throughout the year.

To say that Ben Oki was influential in California bonsai is an understatement. Ryan Neil is a talented artist who has a gift for teaching bonsai like no other. Here is an opportunity to own a tree that has passed through both of their hands, and support an excellent scholarship program at the same time. The CBS Ben Oki Memorial Scholarship strives to make bonsai education accessible to everyone by offering five $200 scholarships each year. The guidelines on how to spend it a...re pretty open, as long as it can be connected to bonsai education. The money can be spent on classes, workshops, and even trees, as long as those trees are worked on in a class or workshop setting. Don't miss this opportunity to own a once in a lifetime tree, and support bonsai education. Donations to the scholarship fund are being accepted, as well as bids on the tree.

I love crepe myrtyles for a number of reasons... their sinuous, twisting trunks, their profusion of summer flowers in a myriad of colors... but the coolest, and strangest, feature of crepe myrtles is their bark. As the tree grows, the outer bark peels and flakes off, revealing fresh bark underneath that is frequently a different color. Over time, this creates a mosaic of colors and textures in the bark that has is beautiful in it's own right, and gives an interesting background to the late summer flowers.

You're not going to find a bonsai exhibit any closer to the Antelope Valley than this. Come check out the trees, the demos, the raffles, and the farmer's market outside. https://www.facebook.com/events/437251977082355/?ti=cl

My yaupon holly has had a busy weekend... A carving workshop with Will Baddeley on Saturday, where some character and the illusion of age was added to the deadwood, and a repot today into a much more appropriate pot... now, she rests... no more major work this year.

Don't miss Bonsai-A-Thon at the Hunting Library this weekend... great trees, great demos, great vendors, and a raffle that can't be beat. Our premium inorganic soil mix will be available for purchase in the vendor's area.

Sometimes the right(or wrong) pot can make a world of difference in the appearance of a tree... I acquired this chunky crepe myrtle last summer in the first pot... too small to visually support the tree, too shallow to hold enough water to support the tree through our hot, windy summer, and it's unglazed, which is more suited to a conifer than a flowering deciduous tree... it went into the second pot pictured today... much more appropriate in terms of size, depth, and color... this glaze will pair well with both the summer flowers and the fall leaf color, which are shown in the last two pictures. There are plenty of pot choices available, but not every pot is suitable for every tree... choose wisely, and always put the health of the tree before aesthetics.

New equipment... faster processing... more happy customers...

We're gearing up for the next repotting season.

My crepe myrtle is blooming. It's nice to have a little color in the summer.