We had a great weekend at Canberra and were well looked after by the locals again. Sales were brisk on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning so there was not much left for those who came on Sunday
A much depleted Shibui sales on Sunday morning at Canberra Bonsai Show
but there’s still plenty of great trees available on our sales benches. Continue reading
The shibui bonsai collection has been gradually expanding over the past 20 years. It has now reached the stage where even I have to admit I have too many trees to look after properly. The dilemma is which ones to sacrifice. I have grown nearly all my bonsai from seed or cuttings so they all have a great deal of history and personal meaning for me. Last winter I lined all the trident maples up and had a critical look at them and found that I have quite a few that are similar. That helped to make a decision though it is no less painful. In the end I have decided to allow these 2 trees to go to new homes and give someone else some enjoyment. If you’d like more details or photos of either of these please drop an email – neil@shibuibonsai.com.au
Trident maple. About 20 years from seed. Trunk diameter just above the roots = 10 cm. Height = 36 cm. Current spread = 31 cm. Visible nebari = 20 cm. $950.00.
Trident maple. About 15 years from seed. Trunk diameter just above the roots = 8 cm. Height = 43 cm. Current spread = 33 cm. Visible nebari = 17 cm. $900.00
Trident maple $900
Spring means Bonsai shows and all the major clubs have exhibitions over the next couple of months.
I will be helping my local Albury Wodonga bonsai society with displays at both Myrtleford A & P show – Oct 24 and in the hort pavillion at Albury show the following weekend Oct 31 and Nov 1st so if you happen to be in the area, stop in, say Hi and have a look at a few nice bonsai. Continue reading
All the new trees are now pruned and in pots.
The new tridents have all sprouted and are busy growing new roots in their pots.
This year I will have more great Root over Rock tridents available for sale.
Root over Rock pre-bonsai trident maples
Those of you who grow bonsai will probably appreciate how much work there is at this time of year. Before the spring flush of growth I need to dig, prune and pot up the field grown trees as well as repotting all the established bonsai that need doing.
I hope you won’t mind that I am going off line for a couple of weeks so I can concentrate on getting everything done.
Shibui Bonsai will reopen for business around mid September.
My apologies for any inconvenience and I look forward to helping you find your dream trees in a couple of weeks.
Neil
Growing trees in the ground or larger pots is a way to increase the trunk size quickly but as the trunk is growing, so are the roots underneath. At some stage the roots will need to fit into a bonsai pot so how can you tame those wayward roots? Continue reading
This juniper started out as an upright variety with prickly bluish foliage. It spent a few years in the grow beds to get a thicker trunk and was transferred to a polystyrene fruit box for training. Continue reading
This post is inspired by Bao who emailed Shibui Bonsai and asked for details of how to repot group style bonsai. Thanks for the suggestion Bao – here are the photos. Continue reading
We mostly have nice sunny days here in North -East Victoria but we do get some cold nights. Many beginners read how bonsai growers in the northern hemisphere protect their bonsai from cold weather and worry about how their bonsai in Australia will cope with winter. Below are some photos of my bonsai after a cool night. Tropical and sub-tropical species should be protected from temps below freezing but trees from temperate areas can cope with any Australian winter. Continue reading
Nebari is a Japanese word which refers to the area where the lower trunk meets the roots of the tree. Species such as maples and pines are noted for strong surface roots so a good bonsai of one of those species should also show great nebari. Here’s a way to create better nebari in your developing bonsai. Continue reading