The Slabby Evolution of My Truckstop Elm with John Geanangel

Source Material: March 2022-March 2024

            Over the last few years, I've been styling what I call my "Truckstop Elm" Yamadori. It came to me while I was driving through Pennsylvania and stopped at a rest stop to take my dog out. There was a wooded area and a lawn that came up to it and there this elm lived on the border. It had clearly been runover several different ways over the years by the lawnmower. I didn't even need a shovel to extract it, the roots were already loose except for one which needed a simple snip to enable its hitchhiking. The photos chronicled here document the last two years of its initial potting, recovery, a few cycles of pruning, and most recently planting it onto a rock slab under the guidance of John Geanangel of Gaston, South Carolina. I became aware of his slab rock planting workshops among others through his Facebook profile (more info here). Below you see the final product of two years of work. It looks great on that rock but I'd like to continue developing its taper and ramification before considering showing it formally anywhere. One step at a time anyways...

Sections:

1. March 2022: Initial Potting
2. Spring-Late Summer 2023, Initial Pruning Cycles
3. March 2024: Slab Planting Workshop with John Geanangel
4. Final Thoughts on Rock Slab Bonsai

In Vivo Bonsai / Columbus Bonsai Announcements

1. My next workshop is Sunday 7/21, I will be teaching the basics of slab plantings using ficus (a beginner-friendly species that can be repotted in summer). The idea is to teach you the materials needed, mechanics, watering considerations, and so on which will empower you to use this method next spring on more advanced trees of your choosing if you are so inclined! Contact me with any questions! Observers are welcome. Sign up here.
2. The Columbus Bonsai Society's next meeting is 7/20-7/21, our 52nd Annual Show. This year it will be held at a new venue - Chadwick Arboretum at Ohio State University near downtown Columbus. More info will be coming this week and can be found here. 
3. You can also find me vending at the Waterfront Botanic Gardens Bonsai Show in Louisville, KY August 24-25 and the Cincinatti Bonsai Show October 4-5 this year. Due to limited space when I drive to these events, it is best if you reach out to me with any special requests you have for things I should bring. I expanded my offerings this year into bonsai soil, wire, tools, pots, and I have a few trees listed online here (and many more not posted yet). Feel free to browse the yews, boxwoods, barberries, and consignment trees available or let me know if you are looking for anything in particular.

2 springs after digging, recovering, potting, initial styling, and now repotting onto a rock slab. This tree has developed quickly! Thanks again to John Geanangel for hosting me in a workshop and sharing his methods with me. 

Everything you need to know for the 52nd Annual Columbus Bonsai Society Show! See you July 20-21, 2024

The outline for the weekend is included below. As we get more information, I will continue to update this page. Mark your calendars and see you there!

Sections:

1. Event Overview
2. Where & When!
3. Vendors & Guest Artists in Attendance
4. Workshop Schedule & Details
5. Raffle and Sponsor Details
6. Why & How to Exhibit Trees
7. Why & How to Volunteer
8. Bonsai Time Podcast Interviews with CBS Show Vendors/Artists

13 Tips for Juniper Bonsai Styling and Care

Source material: May 19, 2024

            This week I have another post with species-specific tips - this time for juniper bonsai! These are tips from my experience working with and digging this genus, although my experience is still limited. Therefore, as with the last post on Alberta spruce, I also am incorporating here a few tips from online sources, discussions, and club presentations from other knowledgeable folks such as Kevin Faris, Hugo Zamora, Jonas Dupuich, Eric Schrader, and Julian Tsai. Check out their work if you are hungry for more juniper bonsai information! After the 13 tips, I also share a few sample juniper bonsai that Kevin and I have styled and explain how the tips we are using relate to the styling actions taken on these trees. This quick baker's dozen worth of tips is NOT meant to be exhaustive but still I hope this article gets you thinking about this unique and popular bonsai type and hopefully improves your care and styling outcomes no matter your starting point. And for those of you who consider yourself advanced in the realm of juniper bonsai, I challenge you to think of your own tips that I missed and add them to the comments! Maybe I'll revisit the subject and cite those other suggestions someday.

Sections:

1. Tips for Healthy Juniper Bonsai
1. Sunlight, Growing Environment, Yamadori/Digging Aftercare
2. Pruning, Styling
3. Tips for Juniper Aesthetics
2. Juniper Styling Examples - Tips in Action
1. Kevin's Juniperus chinensis 'shimpaku' styled during Hugo Zamora workshop
2. My Juniper procumbens Before and After also styled at the May CBS Hugo Zamora Workshop
3. Shimpaku Juniper Styled by Hugo Zamora
3. Remaining J. procumbens available for 6/29/24 workshop. Only 1 spot left!
1. Intermediate Juniper Styling Workshop Material
2. Beginner Yew Styling Workshop Material

In Vivo Bonsai / Columbus Bonsai Announcements

1. My next workshop is Saturday 6/29, Kevin Faris and I will be teaching beginner-intermediate bonsai styling and care for junipers and yews. For the intermediate level, the junipers we have are unique, aged material (20 years old+), meanwhile for the beginner level we have some nursery stock yews which are flexible to a variety of styles. Sign up and see pictures and full details here and contact me with any questions! There are only 1 spot left and observers are welcome.
2. See my yews, boxwoods, barberries, and consignment trees available in Columbus or with potential delivery to nearby states' bonsai events. Or, contact me to make an appointment at my nursery sometime and see the full and ever-changing selection of seed-grown prebonsai and local yamadori/collected material.
3. The Columbus Bonsai Society's next meeting is 7/20-7/21, our 52nd Annual Show. This year it will be held at a new venue - Chadwick Arboretum at Ohio State University near downtown Columbus. More info will be coming this week and can be found here.

A shimpaku juniper styled by Hugo Zamora in May, 2024 as a demonstration for the Columbus Bonsai Society. Read on for juniper bonsai care and styling tips!

A Visit to Bebop Bonsai & His 3 Tips for Alberta Spruce Bonsai

Source material: June 8, 2024

            Last weekend when I was vending at the Pittsburgh Bonsai Society's excellent show (more pictures to come from that in a later post), their club president kindly invited my Columbus Bonsai Society associate and I over to his place after the first day of the show to chat and see trees. Needless to say, we had such a good time talking that I almost didn't think to take pictures of his trees until it was getting dark and time to go. Here are those few shots at Bebop Bonsai located just south of Pittsburgh, PA, USA. Ian Evans is their club president and the curator of this cozy backyard garden. Ian also has a long history as a jazz drummer hence the name of his bonsai business, but more recently he has launched into bonsai through offering services in his area such as maintenance tasks, tree boarding, and assistance selling/moving trees. You can read more about Ian's bonsai work, see pictures, and find out more about his bonsai services on his website here. Read on for more pictures and 3 species-specific tips for Alberta spruce found in bold in the picture captions below of Ian's Alberta spruce bonsai.

In Vivo Bonsai / Columbus Bonsai Announcements

1. My next workshop is Saturday 6/29, Kevin Faris and I will be teaching beginner-intermediate bonsai styling and care for junipers and yews. For the intermediate level, the junipers we have are unique, aged material (20 years old+), meanwhile for the beginner level we have some nursery stock yews which are flexible to a variety of styles. Sign up and see pictures and full details here and contact me with any questions! There are only 1 beginner and 1 intermediate spot left and observers are welcome.
2. If your local bonsai or garden club is interested in having me talk to your group in 2025, please contact me and we can discuss options. There are now 3 talks on my YouTube channel and a few other subjects I've given but not recorded. Even for subjects I've done before, I always update them with new information as I learn more and develop as a teacher! We can also brainstorm for workshops or an entirely new lecture subject.
3. The Columbus Bonsai Society's next meeting is 7/20-7/21, our 52nd Annual Show. This year it will be held at a new venue - Chadwick Arboretum at Ohio State University near downtown Columbus. More info will be coming this week and can be found here.

Ian's biggest Alberta spruce. This tree is probably 4' tall. I think he said it was a former landscaping tree. Luckily for me, Ian has a number of Alberta spruces he has styled due to their widespread and cheap availability especially around Christmas. I say luckily for me as I just acquired my first one. Ian's main advice on these is to (1.) let the wire bite in hard on the branch before removing it to make sure the branch stays, then with vigorous growth the following year these scars tend to heal well. Many people report that wiring this species is a pain as they go back to the way they were too easily. This seems like a good solution though!

Intro to Wild Bonsai / Yamadori in Ohio and Beyond (Full Lecture)

            Last year I put together this talk for my home club of the Columbus Bonsai Society, and then over winter I finally made time to edit it to share with you all who could not be there in person. I hope it helps you try out some yamadori digging when the time is right! At this time of year in the northern hemisphere, it is probably best to practice on "now or never" digs as summer is approaching and the ideal early spring window is behind us. I also have a previous article / "Simplified Protocols for Yamadori/Wild Bonsai Collection, Aftercare, and Initial Bonsai Training..." which you may find helpful too. These resources I provide are just a starting point but you will have to be willing to try it out and fail along the way. Not every species is tolerant of being dug and some prefer certain times of the year or certain aftercare practices. If there are local people to ask for advice, they can give you a head start or you can take my general advice and see what works in your area!

In Vivo Bonsai / CBS Announcements

1. If your local bonsai or garden club is interested in having me talk to your group in 2025, please contact me and we can discuss options. There are now 3 talks on my YouTube channel but every time I give them I always update them with new information as I learn more and develop as a teacher! I also have a few talks that did not get recorded that I could give or we could develop something entirely new.
2. If you are in Columbus, OH, or are in the surrounding states, check out my barberry bonsai for sale and the delivery options there. I have many other local yamadori and bonsai from seed projects if you have something specific you are seeking, I just don't have time to post them all online.
3. The Columbus Bonsai Society is hosting Hugo Zamora - a Mexican-born, Japanese-trained bonsai artist - THIS Sunday 5/19/2024 for a morning workshop and afternoon demonstration. Come see an expert in action! I believe the afternoon demonstration is focused on a Shimpaku juniper styling. More info here.

See more of my bonsai lectures on my YouTube channel "In Vivo Bonsai".