The Slabby Evolution of My Truckstop Elm with John Geanangel

Source Material: March 2022-March 2024

            Over the last few years, I've been styling what I call my "Truckstop Elm" Yamadori. It came to me while I was driving through Pennsylvania and stopped at a rest stop to take my dog out. There was a wooded area and a lawn that came up to it and there this elm lived on the border. It had clearly been runover several different ways over the years by the lawnmower. I didn't even need a shovel to extract it, the roots were already loose except for one which needed a simple snip to enable its hitchhiking. The photos chronicled here document the last two years of its initial potting, recovery, a few cycles of pruning, and most recently planting it onto a rock slab under the guidance of John Geanangel of Gaston, South Carolina. I became aware of his slab rock planting workshops among others through his Facebook profile (more info here). Below you see the final product of two years of work. It looks great on that rock but I'd like to continue developing its taper and ramification before considering showing it formally anywhere. One step at a time anyways...

Sections:

1. March 2022: Initial Potting
2. Spring-Late Summer 2023, Initial Pruning Cycles
3. March 2024: Slab Planting Workshop with John Geanangel
4. Final Thoughts on Rock Slab Bonsai

In Vivo Bonsai / Columbus Bonsai Announcements

1. My next workshop is Sunday 7/21, I will be teaching the basics of slab plantings using ficus (a beginner-friendly species that can be repotted in summer). The idea is to teach you the materials needed, mechanics, watering considerations, and so on which will empower you to use this method next spring on more advanced trees of your choosing if you are so inclined! Contact me with any questions! Observers are welcome. Sign up here.
2. The Columbus Bonsai Society's next meeting is 7/20-7/21, our 52nd Annual Show. This year it will be held at a new venue - Chadwick Arboretum at Ohio State University near downtown Columbus. More info will be coming this week and can be found here. 
3. You can also find me vending at the Waterfront Botanic Gardens Bonsai Show in Louisville, KY August 24-25 and the Cincinatti Bonsai Show October 4-5 this year. Due to limited space when I drive to these events, it is best if you reach out to me with any special requests you have for things I should bring. I expanded my offerings this year into bonsai soil, wire, tools, pots, and I have a few trees listed online here (and many more not posted yet). Feel free to browse the yews, boxwoods, barberries, and consignment trees available or let me know if you are looking for anything in particular.

2 springs after digging, recovering, potting, initial styling, and now repotting onto a rock slab. This tree has developed quickly! Thanks again to John Geanangel for hosting me in a workshop and sharing his methods with me. 

On the Road with Mark Passerrello - Bonsai Time Podcast Ep 08

            In the eighth episode of the Bonsai Time Podcast, my co-host Kevin recorded an interview with CBS president and local potter Mark Passerrello while they were en route to a bonsai workshop. Kevin and Mark went over how Mark found himself in the world of bonsai, his approach to bonsai ceramics, and building confidence in a world full of imposter syndrome as he started his business Ancient Art Bonsai. Mark now regularly sells the pots he makes at local Columbus art events as well as accent plants and bonsai trees for beginner audiences (see pictures below). Kevin and Mark also discussed their experiences with bonsai clubs and how clubs could be made more welcoming to new members as well as Mark's gentle approach to catching the interest of the public during outreach events. Enjoy!

            Mark is one of several prominent bonsai artists who will be in attendance & vending at the upcoming Columbus Bonsai Society 50th Annual Show taking place in September. See here or www.columbusbonsai.org for more information.

Listen to the episode on Youtube.

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

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.

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.

A Rocky Obsession

Source material: 2017, March-April

          To hardcore bonsai enthusiasts, our hobby really does become an obsession. I find myself constantly analyzing trees in my neighborhood considering their potential as a bonsai or looking at what patterns are in a full-sized tree to inspire my styling. However, that is not the obsession I am referring to in this post. My teacher - known to my friends as Bonsai Man Dan, known to the bonsai world as Dan Robinson - has a recent obsession with rock plantings. Over his 50+ years in bonsai, he has been a collector of great trees and rocks. Normally Dan values a powerful trunk above all else in bonsai design, and many of his bonsai are therefore liable to visually overpower a rock that on its own does have merit. Lately, though, Dan has expanded his usual "focal point bonsai" philosophy beyond visually impressive trunks and towards smaller, gnarly trees that might be okay on their own in a small pot, but which can become as powerful as his large-trunked trees when combined with a stunning rock. Below is one example we placed onto a rock this past spring that excited Dan the most. It should be striking to beginners in particular that the slender-trunked trees in this post (the sort of bonsai beginners have) are dramatically more captivating once transplanted into a worthy rock to create a scene as dramatic as a unique deadwood feature can be on a larger wild bonsai tree.

Sections:

1. The Juniper Forest
2. Tiny Chinese Elms
3. The Others

Dan's new favorite rock planting. The rock is a rhyolite specimen from Utah.