Winter

Posted on 23-Jun-2012 by Neil Padbury

It is June at Shibui Bonsai and that means winter. We have had a few light frosts so far this season but this morning was probably the coldest yet.

Frost on a trident maple

Here in Australia we do not have to contend with really severe cold that growers in some other areas get. My cold hardy trees stay outside without any protection all winter without any ill effects, in fact I think it might even be good for them. Low temperatures help to induce some trees to flower better and I hope that some of the pests and diseases will also be killed during cold weather. My ficus, which are NOT cold hardy, live in the unheated poly igloo which provides enough protection to get them through the winter here. Continue reading →

Cooler weather

Posted on 16-May-2012 by Neil Padbury

It is getting cooler at Shibui Bonsai as Autumn really kicks in. For a while we thought we might miss out on good Autumn colour but a few more cooler nights have seen the trees colour up reasonably well.

Continue reading →

Autumn 2012

Posted on 5-May-2012 by Neil Padbury

Chinese quince autumn 2012

Its now May and here at Shibui Bonsai nights have been cool enough for the deciduous trees to start to think about dormancy. One of the great delights in growing deciduous bonsai is the autumn show of colour.

Continue reading →

Age before Beauty?

Posted on 23-Apr-2012 by Neil Padbury

We often see and hear about how old, and therefore valuable, a bonsai is. In my view a bonsai is like any other work of art. Although its age does have some bearing, it is the beauty of the piece that really influences its value. Continue reading →

Nebari

Posted on 12-Mar-2012 by Neil Padbury

Nebari is the Japanese word meaning the lowest part of the trunk and the visible part of the roots. In Japanese bonsai good nebari is deemed a very important aspect of the tree. Continue reading →

Different phases in the life of a bonsai

Posted on 14-Feb-2012 by Neil Padbury

We regularly hear of special pruning techniques for bonsai but before rushing off to try it out you should ask: What is the aim of this technique? And, possibly more importantly: At what stage in the life of my bonsai should I use this technique?

As I see it, a bonsai goes through a number of phases in its life.

First phase is ‘Growth’.

Second phase I call ‘Development’.

Then as the tree is close to ‘finished’ it goes into ‘Maintenance’ phase

Each of these phases have different aims and require different techniques to bring about the desired outcomes. Continue reading →

January 2012

Posted on 30-Jan-2012 by Neil Padbury

January and February are the hottest months of the year here at Shibui Bonsai. So far temperatures have not reached 40 C but it’s still hot enough to make watering my most pressing priority. Continue reading →

Welcome to Shibui Bonsai

Posted on 29-Jan-2012 by Neil Padbury

Look who has dropped in to check out the bonsai

I’m developing this site to share the results of more than 30 years of bonsai experience and my tips and techniques for developing and maintaining really top quality bonsai in Australia.

My aim is to add new material once or twice each month to build up a comprehensive library of practical and up to date bonsai techniques and ideas.

While much of the material here relates to my experience growing bonsai in south eastern Australia, many of the comments will also apply to growers in other areas and other climates.

For those who are interested I will also feature a few of the trees for sale in Shibui Bonsai’s nursery.