I’ve been experimenting with natives for quite a few years now. In the last few I’ve tried speeding up the process by trialling a few species in the grow beds and the results are starting to come onto the sales benches.
This year I have a few Banksia integrifolia trunks ready for you to take to the next level.
All these banksias have been in the pots for just on 12 months. Please have a look and see if any of these look like the right tree for your next Aussie native bonsai adventure.
After a couple of tries I’ve finally managed to get photos of the new Shibui Bonsai field grown trees. Surgery on my right hand has curtailed other activities so I’ve also managed to format them into new catalogues.
Many of the tridents look a bit sad in these catalogues. Pictures were taken straight after their first trim for the season so they do look quite bare. I will try to update the photos as they bud up but, in the meantime, feel free to ask for new photos so you can check that the trees you are interested in really are healthy.
As usual, email neil@shibuibonsai with the catalogue description and numbers to check that the trees are still available and to discuss delivery costs. I’m more than happy to send extra photos if you would like to have a look at any trees from other angles.
In the previous post I showed early shots of work done on a collected Callistemon at Canberra Bonsai show. Continue reading
Last weekend Ian from Alpine Art Bonsai and I put together another good display of quality bonsai to promote our art. Weather was fine and more people through the gates so we had even more stopping to ask questions of just to admire the trees this year.
The cooler weather this year meant that my azaleas were in full bloom for this weekend.
First place in ‘flowering bonsai’ category
A tiny cotoneaster cascade missed out on a place. Maybe the judge did not see it?
Ian’s Phoenix graft juniper received a prize in the single trunk competition.
This trident maple forest also caught the judge’s eye in the ‘group or multi trunk’ category.
Canberra Bonsai show was held over the weekend of October 13 and 14.
Shibui Bonsai again had a trade table this year. Sales were even more brisk than usual and we took home very few plants after the show.
Canberra Bonsai Society always put on a great show and the quality of the trees continues to improve each year. Here are a couple of the trees that took my eye. Continue reading
Here at Shibui Bonsai we have a few large trident maples in the garden. As a result we also have a plentiful supply of trident maple seedlings every year. These provide an abundant resource for bonsai projects for both me, other members of out local club and Shibui Bonsai customers. Trident seedlings are available each year from June until I get tired of digging and packing them…………………. Continue reading
In between wet days and working off site most days I’ve managed to get some digging done.
One trident row completed.
Some of you may have noted the evenly spread roots on the trident maples in the previous post. Those of you who have been following for a while or who have been back through earlier posts will already be aware that nebari like that is not just a coincidence.
Here’s the same trident maple from below. The original trunk that was threaded through the hole in the aluminium plate is still visible and functioning. As it grows a little thicker, circulation will be further restricted and it will gradually die off but the new roots above the plate are now strong and healthy enough to support the tree.
More pictures and a full description in the 12-Aug 2017 post – Develop great nebari #2
It has finally got cold enough for the leaves to drop at Shibui Bonsai. That means it is time to start digging the field grown trees and check progress.
These trees have been in the bed for nearly one year. They’ve grown from 3 or 4 mm thick seedlings to this.
Cold weather has finally come to Shibui Bonsai and many of the deciduous bonsai have lost leaves. I always find this a great time of year because I now get to see the underlying structure of branches and twigs that make up my bonsai. I now get the opportunity to assess the branch structure that has been hidden by a dense canopy of leaves for several months and to begin winter pruning and refinement. Continue reading
