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Vietnamese Bonsai
“Summer ends, and Autumn comes, and he who would have it otherwise would have high tide always and a full moon every night.”― Hal BorlandThis vista showing some mountains in Vietnam, as seen from Laos,...
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The 2014 GSBF Convention
"Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn." ― Benjamin FranklinDavid DeGroot at the 2013 GSBF convention.Here's a great chance to be involved with some of America's top...
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Bug Warning - Goldspotted Oak Borers
"Why didn't Noah swat those two mosquitoes?" ―UnknownAnd for that matter, why didn't he swat the Goldspotted oak borer?Agrilus auroguttatus is an invasive pest contributing to the ongoing oak tree...
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November Bonsai Tasks 2014
“November always seemed to me the Norway of the year.”― Emily DickinsonI'm not sure exactly what Emily Dickinson meant by that. Though she is one of my favorite poets, I've often found her message to...
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Using Leaf Mulch
“If there’s a magic bullet in gardening, it’s mulching twice a year.”― Marjorie Harris, How To Make A GardenGardeners love mulch, particularly a naturally composted leaf mulch. Generally, what is good...
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Look for the Nebari
“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.”― Matthew 7:7A few months back, I watched a boxwood demo on YouTube by Larry White, a speaker at a...
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The So-Called New Easy Method of Bonsai
“A rolling stone gathers no moss." ― Publilius SyrusIf you watch instructional bonsai videos on YouTube, you've either seen or soon will see a series of videos by Dr. Gerald M. Levitt regarding his...
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The Drought
“I did know thee in the wilderness, in the land of great drought.”― Hosea 13:5California has been dry for the last four years. The lakes and reserviors are emptying. I went digging for California...
View ArticleNaka Books Aren't Cheap
"Read, read, read."— William FaulknerThe first bonsai book I ever read was the Sunset Books series on bonsai. But the first bonsai "textbooks" I read were Bonsai Techniques I and Bonsai Techniques II,...
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December Bonsai Tasks 2014
“Winter is coming.” ― George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones Brace yourself. Winter arrives this month. Even here in Zone 10, almost everything is dormant - even the evergreens are nearly dormant. We...
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RIP Jimmy Takeda (1928-2015)
“Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal.”— Seen on an Irish headstoneSouthern California bonsai lost another master this week. Jimmy Takeda passed away suddenly...
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Monthly Bonsai Tasks - January 2015
“Nothing burns like the cold.”― George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones[Photo "Bäume im Winter" by Rosa-Maria Rinkl]We are now fully into winter. We even had some snow - near sea level - in Southern...
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A Hedgerow Bonsai
“Eschew the ordinary, disdain the commonplace.” ― Chuck JonesOrdinary bonsai is actually pretty cool, in my opinion, but I really love unusual and creative bonsai. I liked making my crash bonsai, and I...
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Monthly Bonsai Tasks - February 2015
“[W]ith the first faint scent of spring, I remember life exists...”― John Geddes, A Familiar RainSpring is just around the corner.January brought really cold weather to much of the U.S., but once...
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Bonsai-A-Thon XIX 2015
"Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, for beauty is God's handwriting." ― Ralph Waldo Emerson.Last year, Harry Hirao styled this California juniper with the assistance of David...
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Monthly Bonsai Tasks - March 2015
“The afternoon is bright, with spring in the air, a mild March afternoon, with the breath of April stirring.”― Antonio MachadoSpring is upon us. The dead branches of winter are giving way to the fresh...
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California Bonsai Society 58th Annual Bonsai Show, March 28-29
“I was in the show for 21 days once - the 21 greatest days of my life..”― Crash DavisYou can only be in this show for 2 days, but it's one of the best in California. Every year, the California Bonsai...
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Unconventionality at the Convention
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”― Ralph Waldo Emerson There are more than seven billion people alive on our planet right...
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Bonsai in Other Languages
“The limits of my language are the limits of my world.” ― Ludwig WittgensteinDo you like to surf YouTube for good bonsai videos? If you are limiting your searches only to English language videos,...
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Farewell Amador Bonsai Society
“This is the end | Beautiful friend .”― Jim Morrison, The DoorsCalifornia has lost one of its bonsai clubs. After 20 years, the Amador Bonsai Society has disbanded. According to the club's website,...
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