The Kaizen Bonsai Blog by Graham Potter
Whether you are looking to master the basics of tree health or perform advanced structural styling, use the sections below to navigate our decades of experience in the art of bonsai.
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Graham's Bonsai Trees
The Reports of my Demise are Greatly Exaggerated.
* The reports of my demise are greatly exaggerated. I have now been involved in this bonsai lark longer that not. My dad was retired four years when he was my age. Here I am working harder than ever. Whilst I have been around bonsai for the larger portion of my life now I am socially challenged, lubberly, stolid and particularly uncomfortable around other folk. Being a clod-hopper from the wetlands of deepest Norfolk I missed the social graces class at school, too busy pulling beet in the fields don’t you know. As a result I have tended to keep myself to myself. I have few friends (those I...
Practicing My Bonsai Wiring Skills
It's getting busy around here. We have new stock arriving every week, at this time of year it's mostly what we call 'dry goods' like pots, tools etc'. Whilst it's not as exciting as getting a lorry load of beautiful trees it all still has to be dealt with. Last week I spent over 60 hours sitting in front of my Mac listing bonsai pots.... joy. By way of a little relief I was popping outside from time to time and practicing my bonsai wiring skills. I buy a lot of untrained material. It represents good value and people like it. However sometimes I cock it up and buy something that, whilst I...
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Recent Posts
Special New Bonsai Arrived
This week we had a delivery of trees which bought us a special little piece. Not so many years ago getting hold of quality Japanese bonsai was a work-a-day thing. However since the recession hit, our currency devalued and the Nazi party took over policing of plant...
Dazed and Confused
I get a million phone calls and emails every day from beginners who are struggling to get their arms around keeping bonsai. Just last week I heard from a guy who told me he had started his bonsai collection, he had planted 70 bonsai seeds :-0 After some discussion he...
Get a New Tool
I have been around this game a long time now, about half my life in fact. Who knew little trees were so engaging? One thing I know is that, much as in other areas of life, there is a lot of crap out there just sold to get your money. As a practical old fashioned bloke...
Oh Bollocks!
Over the years, many would say, I have been lucky to have some pretty nice plants. However nice stuff does not just find me, i have to graft for every last piece. I gave up my job and put my family home on the line. Nothing we have came easy, life just isn't that...
New Delivery of Oak Trees
It's a funny old business this bonsai lark. In particular the business of buying yamadori (collected trees) is fickle, extremely risky and entirely unpredictable. Over the years we have been taken to the cleaners and have lost a years profit on a single deal. There...
What’s Going On at HQ
It's been a while since my last post. Our workload has continued to punish us all severely. Everyone here has been working flat out since we got back after the christmas break. Catherine has been spending 12 hour days at her desk. Ramon is a broken man and I have...