Apr 3, 2014 | General
Having so many trees (just over 3000 pots at this moment in time) it’s tough to keep an eye on everything. I have a working nursery not a display garden and as such, should you visit, you will have to be very diligent in your explorations to really appreciate what we have here. However as the year progresses one or two trees do make their themselves known.
I have said before that I do not really have a favourite bonsai tree or species. I tend to gravitate towards whatever looks good in the moment. Trees I particularly like are those that have just arrived. This week we had just over 400 new plants come into us. Among them was Benny.
Benny (Beni-chidori) is a pretty Japanese maple. I sold one of these several years ago and have always had a hankering for another. Benny crossed my path a few weeks ago and I wasted no time in thrashing out a deal with the owner. The tree needs a lot of time and careful work to refine and build ramification but the basics are all there. Once I get the tree refined I will look at the pot but for now this old clunker will do. However for the next week I will be happy to enjoy the beautiful foliage colour as it turns green.
G.
Mar 28, 2014 | General
Once agin this year (Sunday 6th April) we will be attending the BTA event at The Sports Connexion, Leamington Road, Ryton on Dunsmore, Coventry, CV8 3FL.
This event has run for decades now and was actually the first event Kaizen Bonsai ever attended in an official capacity. However over more recent years we have seen the events attendance declining, maybe in part due to our excellent delivery service 😉 Last year we barely covered our costs and so this year we have reduced our presentation by 40%. Therefore if there is anything you were particularly hoping to see or buy from us please either call or email in good time so we can bring what you need.
From where I sit bonsai in the UK is absolutely booming. We find lots of new customers every week and are certainly supplying literally hundreds of beginners out there. However it is a sad fact that both bonsai shows and bonsai clubs are seeing falling attendances. In my experience you will NEVER be able to learn great bonsai skills unless you travel. I have spent thousands of hours staring through a windscreen in my quest for bonsai knowledge. Forums and social media are ABSOLUTELY no substitute and just compound the confusion and disillusionment of many bonsai hobbyists by spreading the half baked ideas of some very inexperienced and ill opinionated folk. I can say that here because this is MY soap box. Bonsai should be learned by practical experience, out in the sun whilst enjoying the company of bonsai friends. Also your trees should be out there on display for all to see, trust me it’s a fantastic learning experience (but can be nasty medicine all at the same time).
I get SOOOO many emails from folk just desperate to learn how to create bonsai. So what do I advise? Get off your ass, get in your car and go seek out skilled folk, visit shows and nurseries, attend EVERY workshop you can, make some friends and be prepared for a long but rewarding slog. Computers and smart ass phones have never made one iota of difference to my own journey. All you need is two hands an imagination and some plants, how beautifully simple is that?
G.
Mar 11, 2014 | General
Since my post about us being a little behind things have gotten a little worse. In spite of drafting in extra help we are not really making much headway. We are now like a cow’s, cow’s arse. You might need to cogitate on that last bit for a while 😉
Just to add insult to injury I have had to get another project on the go. This week I am busy working on this old motor I have left over from a previous life. Having been in storage since 1996 it’s being recommissioned ready for the road and will be sold at auction early next month. My good friend Richard (nice bonsai collection) is helping and lending me his facilities but, it’s a long job and explains why I am writing this at 3.30am. I’m doing 18-20 hour days and at my age that’s no joke!
Next week I am away on a buying trip and will be gathering up some amazing trees so keep an eye out. I already have a lot of plants reserved with our collectors and suppliers and a couple of private collections in the bag too. I advise you don’t go buying anywhere else until you see what i’ve got coming, trust me, it’s the smart move.
So please bear with us, we are all busting our humps to keep you all supplied.
G.
Mar 5, 2014 | General
I am often asked what is my favourite bonsai. As always I can’t offer a straight answer. We move more than two thousand bonsai a year here and I love the day new trees arrive. I also love the day they leave because KB got paid. However I am not as mercenary as that, I have a collection of bonsai and raw material I have kept to myself now and some of those trees have been with me for nearly 25 years.
I do not have a favourite species of tree to work on. Tree species all have unique characteristics and many change throughout the year making them very interesting to work with at different times. So my favourite bonsai? A very good one that looks it’s best and has been developed to bring out it’s unique character. The other thing I love (being a Brit’) is an underdog. Most of my bonsai journey has been about making ugly trees into pretty ones. Some trees I see are beyond hope but others just need a caring hand and a skilled eye to reveal their inner beauty.
When you keep bonsai trees you have to come to terms with the fact that not everything can look it’s best all the time. Many folk believe it’s possible to have a collection of bonsai that look like pictures lifted from magazines, IT”S NOT. Bonsai need to be allowed to grow and as such most cannot be perfectly manicured all year around. However it should be possible to have a tree come to perfection at least once a year or perhaps every couple of years.
So my favourite bonsai tree changes throughout the year. Even with 3000 trees in the garden there are rarely more than two that are peaking at any one time. At this time of year I do have one very special bonsai that helps reinforce my conviction about what I am doing and, just for good measure the tree is a bit of an underdog too.
I bought this Chinese elm about 15 years ago from another bonsai nursery. It was a typical Chinese tree with balls of foliage on the end of each branch. However underneath I could see something very special. This elm lives outside all year around. I have to re-pot every year and about every 5 years it has to be cut back very hard into old wood and re-twigged. The bark is stunning now and the tree has never been wired. In February every year it drops it’s leaves and for about 3 weeks is stunning. This is, to me, the epitome of an old English woodland tree and today it IS my favourite bonsai.
G.
Mar 3, 2014 | General
This Friday (7 March) evening I will be presenting a talk and demonstration on the technicalities of choosing soil and re-potting bonsai. This will cover a great deal of the intricacies of this vitally important task. I have spent nearly 25 years studying growing media and soils used in bonsai whilst keeping thousands of trees. This will be a very enlightening evening!
The venue is Norfolk Bonsai Association. Wensum Lodge, 169 King Street
Norwich, NR1 1QW. 7.30pm Non members charge is £5.00.
G.
Feb 27, 2014 | General
It happens every year and this one in no exception. A few warm days and everyone gets outside to take a look at their winter weary bonsai. We can predict the plethora of orders that follow but this year we have been a little overwhelmed. As a result our normal speedy delivery times are getting a little protracted. Just now for every order we ship two more arrive. The result is a stack of orders big enough to choke a donkey. So please accept my apologies for any delays you may be experiencing just now we are running a couple of days behind. Even I have been packing parcels this week and poor Rammon has worn his legs down to stumps trying to keep up. Next week I have extra hands arriving and so hopefully normal service will be resumed.
I am a little overwhelmed by everyones support and would like to say a sincere thank you for your patronage.
Behing the scenes we are preparing hundreds of new trees for the coming season. Here is a stunning maple I was working on yesterday……
G.
P.S Cow’s arse? All behind!
