From School Teacher to Bald Cypress Guru: John Geanangel's Story - Bonsai Time Podcast Ep52

 In Vivo Bonsai Announcements/Upcoming Events in Columbus

• NEXT WORKSHOP 01/17/2025 - Bonsai on Tap - Intro to Indoor Bonsai at Nocterra Brewing in Powell (all are welcome!). More details and sign up here. (More space was added due to popular demand, now nearly sold out again!)
• Over winter break, I started updating my Trees for sale page. You'll notice the tropical trees now have care guides by species, and I am adding more pictures of my outdoor trees for sale in the coming weeks. Outdoor trees are shippable immediately and tropical trees are too if requested, but it's a bit riskier and more costly to ensure they don't come damaged in winter. Otherwise, pick up locally in Columbus, or at my upcoming trips to Cincinnati and Ann Arbor bonsai clubs in February and April, respectively.
• NEXT Columbus Bonsai Society meeting: Bonsai Deadwood Styles, Mechanisms, and Methods - 01/18/2026. More info here. Presentation, discussion of member trees, and potential demonstration by yours truly.

I. Episode Summary & Links

            In today's episode, you’ll find Ryan and Kevin catching up on life and then jumping into the interview with a multi-talented former school teacher, master of rock slabs, forest plantings, and South Carolina yamadori collector - John Geanangel. John shared with us his bonsai origin story, how it led to becoming a headliner artist for the Bonsai in the Blue Ridge convention in 2026, and what you can expect when attending his 3(!) Bald cypress workshops there. We also discussed his methods for bald cypress yamadori collecting and growing from seed.

YouTube version of Episode 52 is here

 The podcast version of Episode 52 is here!⁠

Guest Info:

            John Geanangel is a bonsai enthusiast passionate about his local scenery and the natives in the South Carolina area. Find more of his work on his Facebook page and YouTube channel, which have lots of great content from previous years of educational efforts and recent tree projects.

• John Geanangel's Facebook
• John's YouTube
• John's Bald Cypress Workshops for Bonsai in the Blue Ridge 2026
• Storm-damaged flat top bald cypress
• Bald cypress care and refinement
• American Bonsai Society's Bonsai in the Blue Ridge 2026 Convention Info

Sponsor Info:

            This episode is sponsored by our co-host via the Kevin Faris moving sale of bonsai pottery, tools, and trees. View these items at In Vivo Bonsai of Columbus, Ohio, USA in-person, or online (shipping available) at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠invivobonsai.etsy.com⁠⁠⁠⁠, or go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.InVivoBonsai.com⁠ and navigate to the consignment ⁠pottery⁠ and ⁠tree⁠ pages.

Mailbag submissions/Community:

• NEW BT DISCORD Chat
• BT Facebook Group

Support the Pod:

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See the relevant images and links from this episode below.

The Unsung Merits of Phoenix Graft/Tanuki Bonsai - A Japanese Larch Example.

             Tanuki, also known as Phoenix Graft, gets a bad wrap in bonsai. Although this technique to make a young tree appear older by planting it alongside the deadwood of another tree is commonly considered "cheating" and looked down upon in some bonsai circles, it can produce beautiful and convincing bonsai. The accusation of cheating comes about as this process accelerates the appearance of age, however, even so, Tanuki is not instant bonsai. As I'll discuss next week in greater depth on the principles behind the successful execution of this technique, there is no substitute for the compelling quality of "age as bonsai" even in the case of phoenix grafted trees. So if we accept that tanuki still requires sound bonsai practice over a period of years and an artistic eye to make them well, what other merits are there to this style? One unsung merit is that tanuki hinges on respect for the deadwood. Bonsai artists are often enamored with beautiful pieces of deadwood which are often included within our living trees or within our bonsai displays as slab/"jita" or in our bonsai stands/formal displays. The act of selecting a piece of deadwood that is attractive enough to be worth preserving alongside a living tree for a phoenix graft is an extension of our innate deadwood appreciation. Additional beneficial qualities of tanuki/phoenix graft bonsai when using a dead tree which we used to work on is it can teach humility and remind us of the lessons we have learned in our bonsai journey. In my case, this Japanese Larch is one of the few trees I got from my teacher Dan Robinson which I brought with me to Ohio when I moved across the country. I worked on this tree for about 5 years before it passed away due to my own underestimation of Ohio winters. Even experienced bonsai artists lose trees - there's always more to learn. So out of respect for the tree, I resurrected it. Also out of humility, it will be a living reminder for me to prepare rigorous winter protection in Ohio even for cold-hardy trees. Read on to see the progression this tree has taken with me from raw stock to its most recent tanuki styling.

Sections:

1. The Unsung Merits of Phoenix Graft/Tanuki Bonsai - A Japanese Larch Example. (this time)
1. RIP Larch - Progression Over the Years (2018-2022)
2. Rising from the Ashes - Phoenix Graft/Tanuki Time (2023)
2. Essential Principles for Convincing Tanuki/Phoenix Graft Bonsai (next time)
3. Announcements
1. I officially applied with the state of Ohio to start a nursery. Contact me to enroll in my first workshop on Tanuki! See details here. The dates planned are 4/1/23 and 4/23/23 from 12pm-3pm. Contact me if you would like to request an additional date.
2. 4/15/23 - 2nd Annual Invasive Honeysuckle Wild Bonsai Dig with CBS and Columbus Recreation & Parks @ Castro Park. This is a free event. Sign up here.
3. 4/16/223 - Columbus Bonsai Society Meeting - I will be presenting on the ins and outs of digging Yardadori/Yamadori/Wild Bonsai. All are welcome. See event details at www.columbusbonsai.org.
4. Seeds are available here.

Tanuki Japanese larch, 1st year in training. 2023.

Life of a Bonsai Deadwood Carver - Will Baddeley - Bonsai Time Podcast Ep 10

            In the tenth episode of the Bonsai Time Podcast, Kevin interviewed the deadwood carving specialist, Will Baddeley, a bonsai professional from the UK. Will covered how he stumbled into bonsai and how his previous interest in model making helped him to develop his meticulous deadwood carving. Will's carving style is distinctive as he focuses on working with and enhancing the grain of the wood. Kevin and Will also discussed Will's teaching style, observations from his travels, and where he looks for inspiration. Enjoy!

Listen to the episode on Youtube.

Or, listen to the episode in your podcast app of choice.

Repotting the Melted Hemlock

Source material: April 2017

          Melted wood?? Yes, melted wood. How else do you describe this hunk of mountain hemlock below? As the Covid-19 virus spreads around me here in Seattle, I have some extra time to also call the melted mountain hemlock below the subject for this week's Throwback Thursday. Today's post is short, so if you're curious about how a tree can become as mangled as this one, read on. 

From this view, we can appreciate some of Dan's deadwood carving, which starts to look more natural as it  naturally weathers over time.

Clean, Cut, & Carve. Zelkova in Autumn

Source material: 2019, December 4-8

          Today we're discussing my small Zelkova, aka Japanese Elm, which I introduced you to previously in my Halloween bonsai post. Fall and winter are a great time for improving the branch structure on deciduous trees due to all their glory or faults being laid bare by the lack of leaves. Many Japanese artists prefer to display trees deciduous trees in winter as they consider the underlying structure to be the true indicator of their skill and their tree's beauty. My goals at this time were to clean old leaves off, cut branches which had gotten too long (setting up growth where I want for spring), and carve a few old wounds which I thought would look better as natural deadwood than as a flat cut that would take years to hide.

Sections:

1. Clean
2. Cut
3. Carve 

One task I finally got around to doing this time was to carve a large old pruning scar. More on that later.

BYOB? Bring Your Own Bonsai, of Course!

Source material: 2019, October 28

          Some of you may already know I participate heavily in Seattle's bonsai community through the Puget Sound Bonsai Association. We aim to share bonsai with the public around Seattle and to help local bonsai artists elevate their skills. To that end, we often have guest artists come to lecture and demonstrate how to work various species or how to use different techniques. Around once a year though, instead of hosting a high-profile artist, we host a "Bring Your Own Bonsai" Workshop where all members can work alongside other members. This sort of atmosphere allows newer members to get advice from more experienced bonsai artists in the area and allows more experienced artists to see what other people in the club are working on. The event is one of the more enjoyable club meetings of the year for me because I get to talk to many more members than I usually would during a typical guest artist demonstration - I would highly suggest other members incorporate such a community-building event into your schedules. Now that my advertisement for why you should join our club is over, here are the two trees I worked on at that meeting.

Closeup of my privet. Here in Seattle, moss creeps up the trunk very easily in winter. It makes for a nice photo, but I wouldn't leave it on for too long unless you want a temperate rainforest vibe.

Haunted Hollows - Halloween Bonsai!

Source material: 2019, October-November

          This week, I am especially happy to share that I have finished applying to my Ph.D. programs! Now I can finally return to my more creative pursuits and share them with you all again. Luckily, I have recently been inspired to create some new, unique, and seasonal ways to display bonsai. My first-attempts at Halloween-themed bonsai displays are cataloged here.

Sections:

1. A Pumpkin Painting
2. A Pumpkin Accent
3. A Pumpkin Pot

My mountain hemlock with a mountain jack-o'-lantern backdrop and my spooky flashlight face as the accent.

Spring at Elandan Gardens

Source material: 2017, April-May

          As you may guess by looking at my recent posts (or lack thereof), May and June were busy months for me. Unfortunately, due to weekends packed with multiple field trips for classes, the Puget Sound Spring Show (which I was on the committee for), a little collecting exploration in the Cascades, and a camping trip to Nevada to collect plants for my university's Herbarium, I was not able to make it out to the bonsai garden on the weekends as often as I would have liked and I did not take the time to put to paper the blog post ideas I have been accumulating. Fortunately, I have finished my exams for the school year and it's time to catch up on all things bonsai.
          I wanted to begin by sharing my photos of Elandan Gardens in spring so that anyone attracted by these floral views still has time to catch some of the late-bloomers around the garden (Bougainvilleas will flower periodically throughout the year, for example). Dan loves ancient and gnarly trees above all else - this is apparent even how he styled his Azaleas which in full bloom are almost offensively replete with flowers. Dan's passion made the garden into a unique setting to enjoy the changing seasons. Even trees that have gone through the cycle of the seasons a hundred or a thousand times still are willing to expend massive amounts of energy to reproduce - luckily for the sake of our enjoyment.

Dan brought in this giant cedar stump with a crane meant to handle multi-ton rocks. The stump is at least 10 feet in diameter.

Pacific Bonsai Museum "Natives" Preparation - Yellow Cedar

Source material: 2017, March 18

          The final tree of the five Dan Robinson trees he and I prepared for the Pacific Bonsai Museum "Natives" Exhibit was an Alaska Yellow Cedar (Xanthocyparis nootkatensis - although there is some phylogenetic controversy around this name). This tree was estimated to be 700+ years old and it looks even older with the help of Dan's training. The appearance of naturalism, gnarliness, and a story that depicts a difficult and storied life history are the highest artistic aspirations for Dan Robinson's trees. The detail on the carving of this trunk is particularly stunning. and hard to believe it was man-made. Which deadwood features were man-made and which were already there when the tree was collected the tree is a mystery only Dan can tell you - I certainly could not make a guess.

The tree back in April of 2016. It caught my eye on my very first visit to the garden.

Pacific Bonsai Museum "Natives" Preparation: Monterey Cypress

Source material: 2017, March & 2016, August

          We are now near the end of the series of five Dan Robinson trees that will be in the Pacific Bonsai Museum's "Natives" exhibit (which starts this Saturday, April 8). Today in the realm of unusual and underappreciated species in American bonsai - the Monterey Cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa). However, unlike the pitch pine (Pinus rigida), the Monterey cypress is not known for its ability to backbud, and some have even suggested it is incapable of backbudding onto old wood. A variety of species have reports of similar constraints, which make them a little more challenging or limited as subjects of bonsai. However, here I will offer for discussion the approach Dan and I have experimented with for the past two seasons to attempt to induce backbuds. It may well be that not enough experimentation has been attempted due to the species being an uncommon subject.

Dan's Monterey Cypress tree after light pruning in March 2017.

Pacific Bonsai Museum "Natives" Preparation: Bald Cypress

Source material: 2017, April 1

          The third of Dan's five trees being entered into the Pacific Bonsai Museum's "Natives" exhibit is an old bald cypress (Taxodium distichum). As my previous posts have mentioned, the exhibit includes an opening celebration on April 8th with a panel of the artists displaying trees Scott Elser, Michael Hagedorn, Randy Knight, Ryan Neil, and Dan Robinson.

As indicated by the gnarly, crooked branching, flat top, and trunk deadwood, this bonsai imitates the truly ancient bald cypresses of the Southern swamps.

Pacific Bonsai Museum "Natives" Preparation: Eastern Larch

Source material: 2017, January 8

          This is the second installment covering the five trees Bonsai Man Dan and I have prepared for an exhibit at the Pacific Bonsai Museum centered around bonsai of species which are endemic to North America (hence the exhibit name, "Natives"). I encourage anyone who is in the area to attend the opening celebration this upcoming Saturday, April 8th. I hope and expect the artist panel to provide plenty of enlightening bonsai discussion. Scott Elser, Michael Hagedorn, Randy Knight, Ryan Neil, and Dan Robinson were all invited to bring trees for the show and will be in attendance.
         Today's installment covers one of my new favorite trees in the garden (a title which admittedly does not hold much weight there, as I shamelessly have many favorites). This Eastern Larch (Larix larcina) was in the garden on one of the main paths - hiding in plain sight. Yet for the first 8 months of my regular visits to the garden, somehow I did not notice or appreciate this tree until Dan pulled it out for work. Things often go this way at Elandan Gardens as I am now somewhat numbed to great material. I regret I do not have as many pictures of our transformation on this tree as I would like due some lost data including before pictures (always very useful), a video of Dan's die grinder carving, close-ups of the foliage and carving, and other manipulations we did. Because of that, I would especially encourage you to see this impressive tree in person if you can instead of relying on my limited photos!

The mostly finished version captured on April 1, 2017.

The Acer palmatum baobab bonsai

Source material: 2017, March 18

          Today at Elandan Gardens, Dan pointed out this unique maple tree he has been styling to mimic the African baobab. Dan wanted me to share this particular tree to get people's thoughts on the unconventional maple design.

One Sweet Bougainvillea

Source material: 2016, August 06

          Dan Robinson has collected and developed many rare, unusual, and gnarly trees over his 50+ year bonsai career, hundreds of which can be seen at Elandan Gardens. As will be explained in the near future by a new post, Dan's artistic style values the existence of some "focal point" on his trees. In most cases, that takes the form of a great trunk or some stunning deadwood feature. However, certain components of that focal point style can incite controversy among bonsai hobbyists. Some people are critical of excessive deadwood use - particularly on softwood species. Others appreciate Dan’s use of deadwood as an imitation of natural features on old and ancient trees. A unique bougainvillea featured in today's blog serves as a demonstration of his controversial - but naturally inspired - deadwood use on softwoods as well as an example of a unique focal point trunk.

Before pruning.

Dan's Evergreen Club Demonstration

Source material: 2016, July 16

         As will be often observed, these early posts which took place prior to my premonition of this platform will often be lack the forethought to take both "before" and "after pictures. Unfortunately for you all, one such case can be seen below. Dan Robinson conducted a demonstration at his garden for the Evergreen Bonsai Association (which meets in Bremerton, WA, across the sound from the Puget Sound Bonsai Association which meets in Seattle, WA). Dan primarily dedicated the demonstration to carving with a die grinder as it is an accessible and powerful technique that relatively few in our art take advantage of. The results depicted speak for themselves (*with the help of their captions).

This is a mugo pine that Dan has been allowing to grow relatively unhindered for a number of years before he selected it for this workshop. Before his work began, the tree was leggy with many different arms to choose from. The obvious style would have been to aim for a windswept look, however, Dan wanted to go for something less obvious - a cascade. He clipped off the majority of the branches, leaving their stubs to carve into deadwood (if you haven't met Dan or seen his garden, deadwood is kinda his big thing - nearly all of his trees have interesting deadwood features). The dead branches he selected are concentrated on one side and the top of the tree, illustrating a story in which the tree faced hardship which killed off growth in that direction (it could be said to still be like a windswept style in that sense).