Author Archive

by John PenningtonThe BSSF Logo Tree
10 Repotting completed.JPG
Sep 6th: The BSSF logo tree is an extraordinary cascade-style juniper that is actually a prostrata juniper with all branches grafted from “the original shimpaku juniper brought from Japan”. Collected shimpaku junipers have been popular since the 1890s, but are no longer available due to overcollecting. They were largely gone within thirty or forty years of their first discovery, in spite of their locations in steep and dangerous areas...  read more »
Posted in Articles And Stories | Tag: | 1 Comment »
by John PenningtonWhat Makes Bonsai So Fascinating?
Aug 1st: Why is it that some bonsai keep us standing before them for so long, calling us back again and again for one more look? In my opinion, three things contribute to this: bonsai as idealized nature, age as a metaphor for the human condition, and artistic composition. Is bonsai art? That’s a complex and ongoing discussion—or argument. In my opinion the answer depends on how you define art, and agreement on a definition appears to be impossible...  read more »
Posted in Articles And Stories | No Tags | No Comments »
by John PenningtonMy First Decade as a Beginner
Feb 1st: You would think that, after nearly ten years of doing bonsai, I would have accumulated some wisdom about the subject. Perhaps I have, but I feel more like I’m just beginning. However, I did pick up a few nuggets that may be useful to other beginners. How did I learn these things? Much of it came by learning from the more experienced members of the Bonsai Society of San Francisco, which I joined two years ago...  read more »
Posted in Blogs | Tags: , , , | 1 Comment »
by John PenningtonSuggestions for the Beginner
Aug 5th: You happened upon a bonsai exhibit and couldn’t get it out of your mind. You looked us up, came to a meeting, and decided to give it a shot. When do you start? Now. Anyone here will tell you, you could do a lot worse than to chose bonsai. It’s cheaper than raising quarter horses, more interesting than making plaster statues, and safer than skydiving. There’s something wonderful and addictive about bonsai, and I suspect I’m not alone in finding myself communing with my trees a little every day, watching their slow and persistent change, sometimes just enjoying their company with a glass of wine...  read more »
Posted in Articles And Stories | Tag: | No Comments »

Site Tags:

2006 accent acorn Beginner Bob Carlson bonsai stock Bunjin Carving collecting Collection North December Defoliation Demonstrations Dennis Vojtilla election Exhibit fall Fertilizer Fog City Bonsai forest Fruiting Trees grafting group plantings guying Hiking History infections inspiration Jay McDonald Jim Gremel jin John Boyce John Edwards John Naka John Penningtion john thompson Junipers Kathy Shaner kusamono landscapes Maples Marco Invenizzi muck nature newsletter november oak october Olive pests Pines pots Pruning Repotting rock planting Sabamiki satsuki azaleas seed Shari shitakusa sketching soil spring stone plantings suiseki Tim Kong tools Tree Care Uru vendors video Wilderness Wintering Wiring Workshops yamadori Yasuo Mitsuya