Japanese White Pine - Spring Flowers

Resukyū (レスキュー ) is always putting on a show of some sort.  Spring flowers, pollen cones, are a stand-out on this old white pine right now.

Don't you just love Spring

Spring first flush is always an exciting time at The Australian Bonsai Gallery.  After a long, cold Winter it is a very pleasant change.

The Trident maples in the following clip were propagated from cuttings in the mid 1970's.  The large Japanese maple was purchased from the Koreshoff Nursery, as a stock plant, around the same time.

Sequoia sempervirens Reshaped

Just completed a major thinning and shaping on this old Sequoia. I started this bonsai as 'tube stock' from a local nursery in the late 70's. It was field grown for a few years and spend ~5yrs in a large training pot before finally being transferred to a bonsai pot.

It was repotted last year when 60% of the root mass was removed.  I let it grow, un-pruned, for the entire growing season to recover it's strength.  It will bud back well this season.

Back to Japan - in your dreams

Just some wishful thinking.  Cannot help going through the thousands of images we snapped on our 2016 trip to Japan.

As a learning experience this is second to none.!  The inspiration, dedication and the attention to detail make Japanese bonsai what they are.... the absolute benchmark in the bonsai world.

 We have posted a small sample of what we have seen... HERE

More wishful thinking to hope for a speedy end to the COVID-19 pandemic.!

Mugo Pine - Amber Gold Transplanted

Finally got to dig this 'Amber Gold' from our field beds today.  At 130cm high it was a back-breaking task; but hopefully worth the effort.

This variety is an amazing and unusual form of the 'Dwarf Mountain Pine' in that the normally deep green needles turn a bright gold colour in winter.  It was discovered in a batch of seedling Pinus mugo.!

Looking forward to working on this monster once it settles into its training pot.

 Old Azalea First Bonsai Pot

 Very old Azalea, alba superba, dug from an old garden over 40 years ago. Been a very long process but now in its first bonsai pot.

Flowers are pure white and a little larger than what is preferred for bonsai but the scale of this bonsai will make up for this.

Lots of design work in the future but the wonderful movement in the dead wood of this tree will make a good design easier to achieve.

Old Swamp Cypress - Formal Upright

This old 'Swampy' had been for sale on our website, for some time, as a rock slab planting.  I decided to give it a make-over as a formal upright; more in keeping with the traditional styling for this species.

The bonsai is For Sale Here, but will not be released until it has settled into its new pot. 

Cedrus libani 'Hedgehog' Bonsai

Cedrus libani 'Hedgehog' is a dwarf selection of Lebanon cedar.  This one was on sale on our website as a stock plant for some time so I decided to transition it to a bonsai pot.  

It was allowed to grow un-pruned for about six years and has, now, developed a good nebari and lower trunk.

Once it settles into its bonsai pot I will start the design process.  

What a Pleasure to Work On

What a great day in the Bonsai Gallery working on some of the best quality bonsai I have ever worked on.

I purchased these bonsai from the collection of Ian Hearn late last year.  They were, already, well established, high quality, bonsai and the notion of taking on the legacy was/is an intimidating thought.

Japanese Black Pine - 'mikawa' from the Ian Hearn Collection

 4 Years made such a difference to this Kuromatsu

 Just came across an old (4years ago) pic of this Kuromatsu and could not believe the difference.!  It is easy to loose perspective when your focus is on continuous improvement of your bonsai.

More than a cursory 'look-back' is required to fully appreciate the fruits of your labors.

Looking forward, I will be concentrating on improving the branch ramification.  More branches, more buds, and therefore smaller needles.!!!

For those interested in the process I use in development and refinement of Kuromatsu please see the slideshow HERE