In this episode I got the opportunity to catch up with Andrew Robson of Rakuyo Bonsai. I got to find out what he's been up to lately and ask questions about the world of deciduous Bonsai. Andrew is a deciduous Bonsai specialist who more recently won the Best Deciduous Award at the Pacific Bonsai Expo in late 2022. He is a full time professional with his Bonsai studio and home in the Portland OR area.
In this episode I got to sit down with Eric Schrader a Bonsai professional, YouTuber, founder of Bonsaify.com and co-creator of The Pacific Bonsai Expo.
In this episode I chat with Matt Spinniken @michigan_yamadori on Instagram about collecting, garden design, White Cedar, Larch and his healthy obsession with Bonsai.
In this episode I catch up with Kaya Mooney, former apprentice under Boon Manakitivipart in the US and current apprentice at Fujikawa Kouka-en in Osaka Japan. You can find Kaya's incredible work @Moonlightbonsai on Instagram.
Interview with Adam Toth of the Bay Area, CA who recently returned from a 3+ year Bonsai apprenticeship at Taisho-En Bonsai nursery in Japan. Adam is one of the few Americans to hold his official Shohin Certification from the Japanese Shohin Bonsai Association.
In this episode I Interview Julian Tsai who's a Bonsai professional located in Sothern California. Julian is a previous apprentice at Fujikawa Kouka-en in Japan, he has also studied under Peter Tea and John Wang. You can find his work at Justbonsai.com and bontsai_ on Instagram.
Interview with Bob Shimon of Mendocino Bonsai. MCBonsai.com
So excited to have my tree on the cover of the newest ABS Journal! I wrote a short article on its development over the years which you can read in this edition as well.
Thank you @bonsaiboon for your help and guidance on this tree @townofmachine who collected it with me @sam_ogranaja for the quality Photo, greatly appreciate it!
Hey All,
In the start of 2018, I decided to clarify and outline for myself what the most important things in my life are and focus more on those things. What I settled on was:
Ultimately, if it's not on the list above, i'm trying to spend less time on it and more time on the things that are most important to me. Lately, life has been busy and exciting with my first kid on the way which will obviously be at the top of my priorities. The wife and I have been getting the nursery all prepped, buying baby stuff and reading up on what to expect when your expecting. When not prepping for the future little one I've been working hard at upping my Bonsai game. If your interested in following me more, I've started posting more frequently on Instagram and would love if you followed me @lee_bonsai.
Here's a couple maternity pics we took.
CA native -Coast live oaks - Quercus agrifolia in the background 😉
Last month, I exhibited my tree I jokingly refer to as the Coffin Box tree at the 19th annual Bay Island Bonsai show. Can you believe Boon and his club have put this show on for nineteen years now? I’m looking forward to next year as they celebrate their 20th-an incredible accomplishment in continuing this exhibition. I had a great time as usual hanging out with all the BIB members and assisting with photography. Huge props to Sam Ogranaja the photographer who took this beautiful picture and Boon for all the help since 2010 in working on it! I was incredibly honored as the tree was selected as the Members Choice award for Large Conifer and it was accepted into the 2018 US National this September.
A couple details snapped with my cell.
Quick flash back from 2010 after getting the tree home and cleaning it up a bit.
Here it is just before collection. I collected this with my good friend Larry White. Hard to even recognize it's the same tree.
Here's another tree I just kept coming back to at the show, at first glance I thought it might be a Japanese White Pine. It was even better in person. Have you ever seen a Shore Pine all detailed out like this before? This phenomenal tree is owned by Alexi and was wired and styled by Daisaku Nomoto. I’m blown away by the way it turned out and think we should look at this US native as a reference to what Shore Pine and Lodegepole can offer us.
Beautiful flaky bark.
Last weekend I started laying down 3/4inch granite around my Bonsai benches. Because of this, I could no longer use my hydraulic cart as the wheels were made of hard plastic and wouldn't role over the rock. I was able to go to the local Tractor supply store and picked up these new rubber wheels. My neighbor is a welder and helped me install them. If you work with large trees, this is a fantastic way to move them around. Simply pull the cart alongside your Bonsai bench, scoot your tree over to the hydraulic table top, then you can wheel it way and raise or lower it. The new wheels are quieter, can role different types of surfaces and dampen the vibrations of the cart which is easier on the trees.
Speaking of needing a Hydralic chart, the last update I have for you is that I purchased a beast of a Ponderosa from Randy Knight. This is just a teaser shot of the base for now, but I'm sure it will end up on the blog in the future. I've got some exciting announcements to make in the near future and really appreciate you checking out my site. Thanks for stopping by!
Here's a picture update on one of my Sierra Junipers. I'll be posting this on the Facebook Bonsai Auctions page later today. $25 starting bid, no reserve. Cheers!
