Tawny Frogmouth Guarding the Bonsai

Found this little guy on one of the benches in the bonsai gallery this-morning.!  Had to put off watering for a while.  Did not want to disturb it.!!

 Dare To Share

 I often wade through my collection of old Bonsai Today magazines in an effort to pick up on something I may have missed in the early days of my bonsai journey.

More often than not I re-read articles through very different eyes.  As my experience grows, and my perspective changes, I am amazed at how much more I can extract form these old publications.

Short extracts, like the one below from Bonsai Today #94, strike a cord that is as relevant today as it was so many years ago.  

"In Japan one of the primary reasons for growing bonsai is to share them with others.  This generous attitude is something we encourage you to consider.  Though you might not be there yet, take a look at your collection and see if there are trees that may eventually merit showing.  Then work diligently to bring them to fruition. Then your trees are ready to show, you can set up a tokonoma in your house for when you have friends over.  Or, you could be more ambitious and sign up to display a bonsai or two at a local club show or even a regional or national show.  When more of us are generous (and brave) enough to do this, we'll see the art of bonsai improve dramatically in the west."
....... Bonsai Today, #94, p.46

To me, sharing something that you have worked on for so many years should be a proud and pleasurable experience.  It is not about just 'owning' a bonsai... it is about sharing the results of your dedication to the art of bonsai.

 Japanese Black Pine on display in the kitchen.!!!

Japanese White Pine from the Field

This grafted Japanese White Pine was field grown at The Australian Bonsai Gallery for about 6 years before being transitioned to a plastic training pot in August 2019.

It has developed significantly since 2019 and is now transitioned to a bonsai pot for further refinement.

Some Refinement on this Old Atlantic Cedar

It is such a pleasure to work on this grand old bonsai.  The Spring flush on this one is an explosion of bright green, turning to a 'glaucus' blue/gray in Summer.

This season I have further refined the layering in the foliage and improved the balance and movement.

Atlantic cedars are a great species to grow as bonsai.  Small needles, wonderful foliage colour, compact growth and very flexible branches (easy to bend).  Only one draw-back is that the branches take longer to 'set' into shape than most other bonsai.

We have been working on this bonsai for the last 16 years.  It was previously in the capable hands of Ian Hearn for many years.
Midori no kenshin - 緑の献身

Japanese White Pine called Resukyū (レスキュー ) - in Flower

Every year, about this time, I always seem to post the same story about this old Japanese White Pine I call Resukyū (レスキュー ).

Apologies but I cannot help sharing the great colour contrast of the flowers against the 'glaucous' colour of the foliage.

 Black, Red & White Pines

Thinking about setting up the bonsai collection on all single stands.  They stand out much better and make the eye concentrate on each tree individually.
Looks a lot less overwhelming at first glance.

All these stands are constructed of 'Hebel'.  An aerated and light-weight concrete.

 Tokoname Bonsai Pots

 Thanks to Bonsai Empire for sharing this great video on 'The Clay Masters of Tokoname.!

Clip attached below.

 The Magic of Bonsai Bark

Just thought I would share some closeup images of bark from some of the most famous Japanese bonsai. 

These images are cropped from pics from our Japan tour in 2016.

Can anyone identify this bonsai pot mark.?

I am having trouble identifying this mark.  The bonsai pot was purchased from the Koreshoff Bonsai Nursery ~45 years ago.

 Pot Quality Upgrade

The Australian Bonsai Gallery is committed to a process of continuous improvement in the overall quality of its exhibits.

These two Pines, one a Black Pine and the other a Red Pine, are part of this process and are deserving of some higher quality and better suited pots. 

The first has been repotted into a quality Kizan pot.  The second is potted in a fine Mazan Terahata pot.