A bonsai reborn

Jeeves, the seemingly omniscient servant featured in so many stories by P. G Wodehouse  said "there is always a way". In Jurassic Park the mathematician Ian Malcolm went further, saying "nature will always find a way".  Nature does amaze in so many ways, and sometime that amazement comes from the resilience of some of Nature's creations.  Plant want to be alive and will often astonish those who think they don't.

Well watered and heavily fertilized,this
seemingly dead ficus roared back.

Here's a case in point. This is a Willow Leaf Ficus (Ficus salicifolia) that has been growing in a commercial type Chinese pot going on ten years. It has an enormous rot spread-it looks like pancake batter that has expanded to fill the entire surface of the pot.

Seen from above, the dean trunk is almost
swallowed up by the root base.

Here's another view. The plant was well taken care of and grew well, but repotting was neglected-basically never done, So while the plant was putting out heavy top growth, it was also fill its pot with roots. Ten years worth of roots meant that it had to be watered by immersion and at some point early last spring either it was likely over watered or a watering forgotten (the latter is most likely) and the tree started to drop leaves. A tree that has built up that amount of root matter in a pot that this one had really has no moisture reserve-the roots are no longer growing into soil but into ever diminishing empty space.

Usually dropping leaves after a missed watering is par for the course with many trees,and that includes ficus. This one seemed to weakened because it was watered heavily after the incident, rather that sparingly.  Until the roots are back to 100% function, don't flood the plant-supply just enough moisture.

The size of the 'discard pile' on the left shows
just how much was taken off.

 The third strike  was allowing the plant to stay outside too soon-it got hit with a bit of frost in springtime an the result was pretty  obvious: the branches and trunk died back to the roots. What saved this plant was what killed it -laziness. The massive root ball the plant had built up made getting it out of the pot difficult (a draw back of inexpensive pots that have a lip). So rather that the plant being yanked out of the pot an consigned to the compost pile, it got set out of the way and ignored.

For less than $3.00 these flush cutters
make a great substitute for mame sized concave
cutters.

The result is what you see. The ficus gathered it's strength and popped out some adventitious buds, lots of them! The number of new shoots would be unsustainable as a bonsai, creating a knobby trunk and causing die back from lack of light and fungus problems. Massive pruning and thin was called for. Most of the new growth was taken off, leaving an unusual feature for a ficus bonsai, and that's deadwood. Most if not all of that welcome off as the plant is allowed to thicken up the few branches that are left and develop a new profile.

Most of the work on the roots was accomplished using a serrated steak knife like a root saw. The branches were scissored off, and the project gave me a chance to try out a new tool, a mame sized concave cutter. It was not labeled as such when I bought it at Harbor Freight Tools, but initial tests indicate that it was well worth the $2.79 price tag. Thats about 1/10 what a made in Japan, specially labeled for bonsai item might cost.

A New Friend

You're not the only one who enjoys your trees. This is a Gray Tree Frog hanging out in a mame pot that sits on the moss of a hawthorn forest. The pot is meant to diffuse some water to the bonsai, but this little guy obviously thought it was a good place to soak.
No surprise this frog showed up in a bonsai, the Wikipedia entry I read for them says they are never far from trees.

The right tool can make all the difference...

If the bonsai pot in the photo looks somehow different, you’re not imagining things. It’s not really a bonsai pot, but lets start the story at the beginning.

Back in the bad old, pre-internet days when buying  bonsai  supplies meant physically being where a vendor was, at a lucky break in finding g a mail-order supplier, bonsai hobbyists were always on the lookout for supplies.  One bit of advice was to keep your eyes open, useful things can pop up just about anywhere. One early publication, obviously written in a much different, less politically correct era, advised vesting curiosity shops, junk stores and “quaint markets” to be found in the  “foreign sections” of big cities.

The ceramic object  pictured is a very inexpensive, mass produced trinket box in the blue and white style many non-Chinese believe to authentic Chinese. It had a lid that is long ago lost, and was purchased at Pier One back at time before that retailer had become an interior decorator show room and still handled, when they still sold cheap and interesting items from around the world. I bought it because the size and shape seemed good for a bonsai, and because back then I was eager to buy any thing bonsai related.

The problem with an item like this, not meant for horticultural use, is that it has no drainage hole.  That is not the drawback it may seem.  While it is important to have drainage in any growing container, it is far easier to create a drain hole than at first it may seem.  It shocks me now that the space of time between buying the item and drilling for growing is so long-about twenty five years.

Why so long? It was really a matter of procrastination. Having  bought the trinket box, I put off buying a specialized drill bit because I figured it would be expensive, or lots of trouble.  Putting a job off for a week and then two, makes it easier to put it off for one year then two, and lots of time can pass. Then one day you find yourself at a really hardware store, and once you’ve got what you came for, and the helpful staff member asks if you need anything else, the odd notion pops into your head to ask which drill bit is best for drilling ceramics.

To make a long story interminable, a carbide tip drill bit isn’t all that expensive (around $10,depending on size and retailer) and  drilling ceramic isn’t all that hard. It just takes patience.

Good quality ceramic can be very hard, and high fired glazes are actually harder than metal. So if your expectation is to just pop a hole in a ceramic item in the same way as drilling wood, the process will be different. Begin by getting proper safety equipment on-eye and ear protection is important. Flying bits or porcelain will do a number on your eyes, and because drilling ceramic can be time consuming, the high level noise will extend out for a while.

Cradling the item in wet sand will create a firm but yielding base, and the moisture will help dissipate heat generated by the drilling process. Having water on hand to cool the drill site is also a good idea. Container with recessed bottom will hold their own water, or have a helper  aim a trickle from a watering can. Use of a hose around a corded drill is probably best avoided.  If the piece you are drilling has a flaw in the glaze that is well placed, that’s a good location to drill, other wise apply an “X” of masking tape at the spot you want your hole. The tape will help assure the drill bit doesn’t go skittering around.

Now you’re ready to drill.   Ceramic is brittle so pushing too hard will result in a ruined item, while not pushing enough will mean the drill goes sailing about. It’s best to start slow and develop the right touch. Be patient, let the drill do most of the work and take your time. Fine china and bakeware type piece will take a long time-they are very hard. Like many things bonsai related, patience will be rewarded.

Now that I have a bonsai-ready pot, I hope it is less than 25 years until  it gets a plant in it.

A favorite tree...and a favorite species

Clearing out the trees that didn't make it through the winter is always disappointing. Even though the toll was not as bad as last year, it is a reminder of how ephemeral a tree can be-but also a reminder of how tough they are as well.

One tree in particular seems especially resilient. It's the bonsai that I personally have had the longest,a collected crab apple of unknown variety an dubious provenance.  I really like crabs, and though not tree is bullet proof, they sure come close.

About the dubious provenance: When I moved to Columbus in 1990, I spent the previous year living in a studio apartment-room to read a bout bonsai,no space to try it. Arriving in central Ohio, and a rented house that taught me what the realtor's term "German Village area" meant (side note:never tour a property in the evening,no matter how great the interior looks,you'll get a surprise when you move in.) I had space for plants. 

As new hobbyists do, I wanted to expand my collection, and the idea of collecting potential bonsai from the wild seemed appealing,free plants for the taking and all.  So In February of 1991 when the weather broke and armed with a shovel and a plastic grocery bag (Big Bear,this happened some time ago) I walked down to Schiller Park.   There were several crab apple trees with luxuriant crops of root suckers, so I found what seemed like a good one and started digging.  Though the air temp was pleasant the ground was of course still frozen, so the removal was neither quick not clean, and as I recall there were some false starts, but eventually I got one out of the ground and into my bag.  

Satisfied that I was a real bonsai practitioner now, I walked home carrying my ill gotten gain. At no time either going, coming or during did anyone stop me,ask why I had a shovel or what I was doing.

This seems the appropriate point to reminder readers that collecting without permission is the wrong way to go about things.

Once I had the fledgling bonsai home and potted into a cost effective training container (a plastic tub that originally held macaroni salad) it sure didn't look like much.  A segment of the donor tree's root,about the size of a cocktail weenie sat at soil level, with a few viable roots going down and one slim branch rising straight up.

Crab apple blossoms about to open.

It took some time, but this ugly duckling somehow became a swan. Despite a rough start in life and the inexperience of it's keeper, it not only grew but thrived. It branched out well and was gradually moved into a proper training pot and then a production grade Chinese pot. Training and styling were accomplished by the hedge clipper method-lots of hacking back of vigorous shoots.  I have accepted the fact that crab apples, like many flowering/fruiting bonsai, wont always have well manicured foliage pads.  The need to let them bank some energy and create new fruiting spurs has to trump the desire for compact form

This seedling spent two years
in a growing bed to develop trunk
thickness,now live in a training pot
for some branch work.

The tree flowers reliably every year, and it's been something of a tradition to bring it to work with me so it can share it's beauty with a wider audience.  Spent blooms are removed and it has never been allowed to set fruit, though I am curious about the size and color of possible fruit so may allow it to do so this year.  It has managed to stay very healthy on its own until recently. Although the very cold winters don't seem to bother it at all, the hot dry summers seem to stress it, and the last few years it has developed black spot and looked absolutely awful by July.  Though it's against my principles to use chemicals, a prepackaged  bottle of  rose spray does the trick, with weekly application through the summer.

The red leaved crab in the round pot and the green leaved on in the
cloud pot are both about three years old,collected from the back
yard.  It will be a few years before they bloom.

I have added many crabapples to my collection since this first one,both by purchase and by digging.  Seedlings are plentiful in my back yard, and since crabapples are over utilized in the suburban landscape, volunteers are everywhere.  Great advice for creating crabapple bonsai can be found on the Evergreen Garden Works website

https://www.evergreengardenworks.com/crabappl.htm

A Book Review

Bountiful Bonsai: Create Instant Indoor Container Gardens with Edible Fruits, Herbs and Flowers by Richard W. Bender

This is author Bender's second book on a bonsai subject. His previous effort, Herbal Bonsai was published in 1996. As the title suggests,he advocates for the increased use for herbal plants as bonsai.  I thought he had an interesting take on the  hobby but rather an limited grasp of the artistic aspects of bonsai.  The example trees were generally over potted,had thin trunks and masses of undefined foliage.  

Bender's new effort is much more of the same.  His topic this time is summed up in the jacket flap copy, stating "(he) expects his plants to look good but also to play a supporting role in the home by supplying  fragrant fresh herbs and fruits for the dinner table". What Bender is advocating is bonsai that are useful as well as good looking.

The way that he accomplishes this is fairly easy to predict and proven positively by examining any of the multiple color photographs in the book: Bender's bonsai don't look very good.  Check that-these are obviously healthy, vigorous specimens that grow well and bear their particular crops with enthusiasm  Bender gets wine,jam,marmalade, tea and cooking herbs from his 'bonsai', so they certainly live up to the "Bountiful" mentioned in the title. They just stray from the usually accepted rules for bonsai.

The author acknowledges that 'bonsai' grown in his method will of necessity have larger that traditional pots, and will have larger foliage areas.  He presents these situations almost as freedom from rigid bonsai rules, but while may assure that his bonsai bear fruit, it also means that his bonsai are to my eye indistinguishable from any houseplant. Well cared for,handsomely potted, but not a bonsai.

Design aspects aside, Bender has a firm grasp of the horticulture involved in this endeavor.  The types of plants he recommends as 'bountiful bonsai' are a wide range of growing things-old friends like natal plum, myrtle, dwarf pomegranate and the myriad of citrus as well as some very nontraditional choices like sage, scented geraniums,papaya and hot peppers! He not only offers care and culture advice, but provides recipes for those interested in making their own bountiful bonsai.

A promotional video can be seen here :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrU6xC5kbV8

Some of the comments and the author's response to them are instructive. 

Thoughts on watering-and the related subject of soil

When do I water my bonsaI?

One of the most common bonsai related questions, and one of the hardest to answer.  Why so hard? Because most folks asking are really hoping for an easy to cope with response- Once a week, every other day, something like that. No one wants to hear  “Well it depends…”

But thats a better answer. The tough part of bonsai care is dealing with variables. When considering bonsai variables, things break down to an equation like this:

R+E+P= Watering schedule.

These stand for

R- Requirements of the plant. These are usually the factors that can not be changed, things like water requirements or amount of sun light.

E-Enviromental factors.  Conditions in the growing area such as duration and intensity of sun light, wind exposure and temperature.

P-Planting mix. The easiest factor to control, such as Container type, particle size and component ratio.

If you get the feeling that how often to water depends alot on what a tree is potted in,you have grasped an important idea. Trees in sunny, windy locations, or trees that will by their genetic nature need a moister environment would all benefit from a potting mix that retains more moisture. Trees that require a dryer soil situation, or that are sighted in  shadier locale, would likewise prefer and do better in a mix that stays drier/drains quicker.

There are bonsai soils mixes packaged and available for purchase at many venues.  Using them right from the package will mean observing how much water is absorbed and how quickly it is used by plants. Additions can be made to customize the prepacked mixes, and most bonsai hobbyists will soon realize that buying soil in small packages is not cost effective.  It is much cheaper to buy raw ingredients, and allows basically infinite flexibility in creating soil mixes tailored to any situation.

So what materials can be used in a bonsai soil mix? Soil components fall into three types:

ORGANICS-high capacity to absorb water, offer some  nutrition (NPK) micronutrients and bioactivity. These items break down over time, which can affect the effectiveness of the mixture’s drainage.

Coffee grounds

Leaf mold-slow to rot leaves such as oak are best

Bark Chips-wide variety is available either as mulch or other horticultural uses-orchids

Coir-coconut shells, used in potting mixes and as animal bedding

Mulch-cocoa shells, hard wood

Shredded pine cones-not commercially available, easy to harvest in the right neighborhoods

Peat moss-breaks down quickly, hard to rewet once totally dry.

INORGANICS-provide weight, assure drainage, these never breakdown, absorb almost no water.

Sand-must be appropriately sized, swimming pool filter sand and mason’s sand are best.

Gravel-small gravel(large sand) with sharp edges work well, aquarium gravel is no good!

Poultry grit-harder to find as the old fashioned feed stores disappear

Crushed limestone/paver base-especially good for plants that need low Ph ( base)

Crushed brick-expensive

Lava rock-expensive

Akadama-a naturally occurring soil type imported from Japan, expensive

MANIPULATED ITEMS-somewhere between organics and inorganics, these items have been processed in some way. Usually longer lasting that pure organics, they absorb some water but also promote drainage.

Turface-a naturally occurring clay fired to high temperatures.

Floor Dry-diatomaceous earth fired to high temperature-available at NAPA

Haydite-shale expanded with heat.

Vermiculite-a mineral expanded with heat.

ITEMS TO AVOID

Perlite-heat expanded obsidian, it is very light weight and pure white-distracting.

Garden soil-breaks down quickly, contains weed seeds, disease vectors-bad news.

Compost-same issues as garden soil.

Beach sand-may contain salt

Particle size matters. Notice how when you open a can of mixed nuts the big heavy Brazil nuts are on top? It seems counter intuitive, but there are interesting physicals forces at work, that also affect how well bonsai soil mixes together and stays mixed.  Using play sand (very small) with large bark flakes ( big) will result in a mix that does not hang together. Using items of similar size will improve the mix.

Book report:BONSAI:Techniques, Styles, Display Ideas by Peter Warren

BONSAI:Techniques, Styles, Display Ideas by Peter Warren DK Publishing 2014

    Impressive at first glance and even better with each subsequent perusal, this authoritative volume has the makings of a definitive reference for a new bonsai hobbyist.  Similar in format to Harry Tomlinson's The Complete Book of Bonsai, and reminiscent of Herb Gustafson's intro books,this particular book is heavy on images, which is the modern trend, but text is specific with facts and directions when needed.

    I had not heard of Peter Warren before reading this book, and the jacket bio blurb is  short and modest.  Web investigation reveals that he spent 6 years in Japan, studying there with Kunio Kobiyashi.  Interestingly, he is credited as both "an author and translator,  featured regularly on the radio and television and is a well known face in the Japanese bonsai community".  I have no knowledge,first hand or otherwise, of the Japanese media, but if Warren was featured regularly he must be very impressive indeed to be accepted as an expert.

    DK Publishing is based in Britain, and the text and care recommendations reflect that geographic bent. William Valvanis is credited as U.S. consult, and his influence in the obligatory care guide organized by species is apparent. This volume is obviously aimed at the widest possible market, reflective of the fact that bonsai is an international pursuit. The wide focus is evident in the obligatory feature all books such as this have: a run down on possible species for bonsai complete with care information and photos.

    The species  guide is grouped by tree type, and though not exhaustive is meant to give a good idea of the wide choices available for bonsai material. I was interested to see Tamarind and Lipstick Ficus in the "Local Heroes" section, recognition that where ever you are in the world there are local plants that will make great bonsai as these tropicals emphasize. Also in this section is Blackthorn ( Prunus spinosa) also called sloe. Warren is one of several English bonsai authorities who write enthusiastically about this thorny shrub native to the British isles, praising its hardiness, three season interest and styling possibilities. I keep my eyes open when ever I am at a nursery looking for one.

    Leafing through this tree section (pun intended) many of the images are familiar.  There  must be a spirit of cooperation among bonsai writers, because I recognize Harry Tomlinson's majestic English Oak featured in his on book, a Sageritia and Japanese Maple by Peter Chan and a California Juniper and spectacular Coast redwood from Ryan Neil.

    Sandwiched on either side of this rogue's gallery are a section on bonsai basics and on bonsai creation and styling. Warren's coverage of bonsai history and design is compact and accessible.   The way he covers pots and pot selection gives some real, solid advice for a subject that can be very esoteric. Surprisingly there is a page about soil ingredients and that's all the coverage potting mixes get. Soil mechanics can be an admittedly difficult and mystifying subject for the casual enthusiast, but only covering the 'what' of soil and leaving out 'how' and 'why' seems like short changing the topic.

    Warren breaks down styling and bonsai creation into projects.  This is a smart way to cover these ideas, ideal for a new bonsai hobbyist who has no other instruction or guidance.   Simple projects like styling a garden center juniper progress to rock plantings, forests and bonsai from seed and collected material.  Each project has step by step photos which make the processes involved clear for a newbie, and are a great refresher and inspiration for more experienced practitioners. 

    Warren's book would be a worthwhile addition to a bonsai library and would certainly be the new book of choice to give or recommend to someone just starting their bonsai journey.

    

 

Much more about...ERODIUMS ( or is that Erodia?)

     After the Erodium grouping that I entered in a recent Columbus Bonsai Society annual recent show attracted some favorable comment, our program chair Ken Schultz, ever alert for a meeting topic, asked me if I would be interested in doing a program about these delightful little plants. Part of his motivation may have come from the comments of one show goer who had trouble keeping Erodium alive.

Seen at a nursery in a standard grow pot, Erodium shows off it's
pretty blossoms, but the potential for bonsai may not be apparent.

     Every bonsai grower has at least one kryptonite species-a type of plant that they just can't keep alive even though, other growers, web site and guide book says it is easy to grow. I certainly empathize with any grower who feel a particular species of plant has turned against them. But it is a surprise to hear an Erodium mentioned as the trouble maker. Most reports of this plant are that it is a tough, adaptable customer the performs well under many varied conditions.
     Erodiums are part of the family Geraniaceae, which also includes Geraniums and Pelargoniums. This kinship is evident in leaf shape and general form. Linneaus grouped all three of these now separate genera in one genus, Pelargonium. They were later given their separate classification based on the number of stamens in their blossoms. This change in nomenclature is the reason that those popular red flowered plants that invade garden centers and front porches every spring are commonly called Geraniums, though they are properly grouped as a Pelargonium.
     There are about 60 species of Erodium, native mainly to the Mediteranian basin and western Asia. They are often given the common names stork's bill , heron's bill or crane's bill, because their long, narrowly pointed seed pods resemble a bird's beak. This resemblance is echoed in the scientific names each of the related genera bears: Geranium for the crane ( geranos in Greek), Pelargonium (Greek for stork) and the heron (erodios). From my point of view these three bird have what seem to be identical beaks, and this similarity may account for the fact that the three common names are used interchangeably for members of all three genera.
     This indiscriminate name use reflects how similar in appearance most of these plants are, and how closely related. The plant we use for bonsai is frequently sold as E. reichardii  and also as E. variable. The name E. variabile was suggested in 1980 by Dr. Alan Leslie of the Royal Horticultural Society to describe an intermediate species between E. reichardii(synonymous with E. chamaedryoides) native to the Pyranees of Northern Spain, with E. corsicum native to Corsica. Though attempts to cross these species intentionally failed, apparently spontaneous hybridizations had been occurring in alpine gardens for some while before conscious selections were made for cultivation.

Erodium in various stages of development,as
as grown by Ken Huth, Ken's World of Bonsai.
Ken is well know for recycling beverage cans for grow
pots-waste not, want not.

     Soon after the hybrid status for E. variabile was described, Dr. Leslie's fellow enthusiasts began expressing doubts that it was a hybrid at all, but merely a variant-leafed form of E. reichardii. The issue was eventually brought before the Royal Horticultural Societies Advisory Board for Nomenclature & Taxonomy, and it was decided to spring for the cost of DNA investigation, which found that Dr. Leslie's surmise of spontaneous hybridization was indeed the case.
Although the question of identity is a tough one to unravel, it may not matter much since the plants in question require basically identical care and culture. Outside of bonsai, Erodium are popular as rock garden plants, and given their origins in the rocky hills along the Mediterranean Sea, that should be no surprise. Mediterranean climates are not just found around ˜The Med" but the South African Cape, Southern and Western Australia, Central Chile, and much of California are considered Mediterranean climates as well. This is an area where the familiar Rosemary , Lavender, Olive and Cypress thrive, and plants from this area are adapted to deal with a cool wet winter and dry hot summer. Many plants from the area go dormant to avoid summer heat rather than winter cold.
     I think this is reflected in the growth habits I've seen my Erodium demonstrate. Though they are probably borderline hardy, I have always taken them indoors over winter. They live from October to April under shop lights in the basement, then find a place on the bonsai benches over the summer. Outdoors, the small pots are grouped in sand trays, which means they can stand the all day sun they are situated in. The plants stay a healthy green and bloom freely over the summer, but the intense sun seems to encourage such compact growth (leaves and leaf stems are very small) that they don’t seem to grow much. I am convinced that not only are the leaf structures kept small by the sun, the internodal length-the space between each leach stem is kept small too, an ideal situation for maintaining a bonsai, though it can make for a lengthy process if you are trying to develop one.

Add caption

     I think this adaptation to a hot summer and cool winter makes it easy to take Erodium inside and use that winter break for real development as shohin bonsai. Erodium really show the result of what could be called the bonsai effect that is, being dwarfed by pot culture. In that respect Erodium really are ideal bonsai material, in that they already have a form and habit that are small in scale, and will reduce even further in bonsai culture.

The Erodium fact sheet

Scientific name/common name: Erodium reichardii ,Heron’s bill, also crane’s bill, stork’s bill, baby geranium, alpine geranium.

Native region: Pyrenees mountains of Southern Spain, and Mediterranean islands. In cultivation world wide.

Form and habit: Slow growing, mound forming perennial, growing 2-4 inches tall and eventually reaching 12 inch spread. Leaves are bright green, slightly fuzzy and basically oval, with slightly lobed of scalloped edges. Blooms year round in cultivation, plants are dioecious (separate male and female plants).

Care:     Soil-Prefers a moist but well drained soil, ideal mix should balance organic matter with grit, also prefers alkaline soil.

                Light-Can grow in bright shade to full sun.  Full sun will yield most compact growth and very short leaf stems desirable in bonsai,

                Moisture-Requires good drainage but moist conditions, care should be taken to assure that small pots do not dry out.  These plants are somewhat drought tolerant but caution is always advised. A sand tray or pot-in-pot technique will help moderate water demands in small containers.

                Fertilizer-Not a heavy feeder, use a balanced fertilizer. A low nitrogen, higher phosphorus feed will often bring on a wave of blooms.

                Propagation-Strikes easily from stem and root cuttings. Root cuttings should be completely buried in soil and kept moist, stem cuttings should be trimmed of all but a few leaves.  Even very small stem sections will root.

Recommended soil mix: Note that no sand or gravel is included; I feel that in small pots all soil ingredients should hold some moisture.

                                                Mulch fines

                                                Turface fines

                                                Coffee grounds

                                                Ground limestone

                                                Vermiculite

                                                “Moisture control” potting soil

                               

                

Book report-The Bonsai Bible by Peter Chan

The Bonsai Bible; The definitive guide to choosing and growing bonsai

by Peter Chan

Peter Chan is a well known name in the bonsai community. An Englishman of Chinese heritage, his first book on bonsai was published more than twenty years ago.  His most recent title is a small, photo heavy book that is obviously aimed at a few select groups: casual bookstore browsers, bonsai beginners and those gift shopping for  bonsai growers.

The copyright dates tell a story. Published in Great Britain in 2014, the text is copyrighted back to 2007, and some quite familiar. Granted, there are only so many ways to cover the material. Chan's publishers know the trick that several other eminent bonsai authors have discovered-recycling. A new title and a new format makes things look like a new book, even if the content is the same-most buyers wont notice until they get it home.

For a book with more than 300 pages, this has very little detailed or specific information. History of bonsai, differences between Chinese and Japanese types and the usual care and feeding are glossed over in the most brief and general way.  This may be an excellent way to introduce concepts for a reader just starting their bonsai journey, but only the truest beginner  will be satisfied with the amount of information they find here. Propagation-a topic that can be an entire book unto itself gets two pages. Wiring gets three.  Chan's Bonsai Bible might start a flame, but has little to keep it burning.

He certainly scores big points for including some advice about considering one's environment and conditions when choosing species for bonsai, that picking plant that grow well in your area will make success more assured. He also totally eliminates that useless feature of so many beginners books, the run down of the basic styles. Lately I've come to the opinion that beginners get too hung up on style rules and try to make their plants fit into a certain 'regulation' style, rather than let the plant do the deciding. 

The bulk of this little but thick book is given over to a compendium of possible bonsai species. Chan has organized these in an interesting way-outdoor conifers, outdoor broad leaf, outdoor flowering and indoor/tropical. Each two page spread shows a close up of individual foliage for identification as well as a 'finished' example. Required environment, watering and fertilizing tips an a warning about special things to be aware of are included for each tree.  The selection is extensive, featuring all the usual suspects plus some odd balls and plants used in just one part of the world.  The trees are not all Chan's work, and in his acknowledgments the author thanks "his bonsai friends around the world" for sharing images of their trees. The audience for this book-and for the bonsai hobby-is truly world wide.

This extensive section on plant material is the publication's strength, serving as a useful identifier  and a quick reference guide.  It's easy to page through the slick pages and use it as a  wish list as well.

Rocks and other stuff

Good to be back after a long winter's nap...though winter seems far from over.

Ken Huth talks erodium.

The February meeting of the Columbus Bonsai Society was a great time. Ken Huth, of Ken's World of Bonsai led an erodium workshop.  Ken has been a long time advocate for these adorable little plants. If they were technology we might call him an early adapter.  For me, erodium are ideal bonsai in several respects.  Small is an important part of bonsai in my bind, and these plants are happy and hardy at small sizes, something that can't be said for all species.

Apart from size, erodium as bonsai epitomize the artistic deception that all good bonsai have.  Erodium are not trees and are rarely what we consider 'old', but with a little styling these microgeraniums look like ancient trees.  Its a kind of magic or alchemy, which ever you prefer.

Ken thinks 'green' and is always ready
to recylce!

Ken brought along several flats of erodium starts that he had grown on and which needed potted in presentable pots. Ken is well known for using recycled um, beverage cans for growing containers, so the need for nicer, ceramic pots.  Workshop participants each potted up a half dozen or so plants , then got to keep their favorite to take home.

As well as all the raw stock, Ken brought along some 'finished' examples.  Several were root on rock, a really easy style to work an erodium into. Using the rock gives additional visual interest and gives a very impressive trunk base. I was inspired to take some of my erodium cutting out of grow pots and get them wedded to some rocks.

Erodium roots are fairly flexible,
so can be used for rock style plantings
more easily than many woody species,
which have to be wedded to their rocks
when the roots are young  and pliant. 

Like most bonsai practitioners, I have a collections of stones and rocks (what's the difference?) , but what I wanted was something craggy, textured and interesting. With nearly a foot of snow on the ground its, not a great time to go collecting.This being Modern America, if you want something, just go shopping. Since it was nearly 8;30 PM in Modern America, shopping involved the interweb.

Anything you want to buy, someone is selling, and the interweb makes sure all those buyers and sellers find each other. But Google can also be a surprisingly effective way to find out about worlds you don't often visit. Which brings us to a style of aquarium decoration based on design concepts from Japanese gardens.

The style is called iwagumi, and the lean spare aesthetic that shapes a Japanese garden that is mostly stones  has been translated to a fish tank  where the fish and plants take a back seat to the hardscape.  As with bonsai and many other Japanese influenced artistic pursuits, there are some precise and complex ratios and space/size concerns.  Minimal is far harder to do right, though it looks so easy!

The most prized stones used for this type of aquarium design of course come from Japan, most are expensive and hard to come by.   Just like items branded or marketed for bonsai are usually moe expensive, the same deal goes on in other hobbies.  Smart hobbyists soon figure out that there are smart substitutes or alternatives that work just as well-or better.

 I liked the look of the Japanese stone, and after finding that specialized aquarium websites charge a fortune to ship it ( no surprise to anyone who has bought akadama) I was surprised whena few posters in online message boards said that buying
from aquarium stores may be expensive, but bargains can be found in "your local bonsai shop or Japanese garden store"!!!
Not sure about you but I don't have a 'local' bonsai shop, as much as I wish that were true!