newzealandteatreebonsai

A few Shohin Bonsai

2011-10-20T21:21:00.000+08:00

I have trees from 5 cm to over a metre. The small ones are easy to handle. The big ones are a challenge especially during photography session. Here are some of my shohin. Enjoy n cheers, CJ.

Pyracantha, 22 cm, trained from $1 nursery stock since 2001.

JBP, 23 cm, trained since 2004.

Lilypilly, 19 cm, trained from $2 nursery stock 2001.

Tiger bark ficus, 20 cm, trained from $4 nursery stock since 1998.

Wild Olive, 15 cm, dug 2001.

Blooming Bottlebrush

2011-10-15T21:43:00.002+08:00

This Bottlebrush is big, 1 m x 1.2 m. Photographing it is a challenge especially when I have to do it on my own. However the bloom is at its' peak and the urge to capture the beautiful moment overcame the time constrain and the challenge of moving it to my make-shift studio. It was saved from a demolition site in 2001. According to the lady living next door to the demolition site, this tree was planted 50 years ago (as of 2001). So now it is about 60 years old. An expert lady at Friends of King's Park identified it as a Parker's special. Enjoy n cheers, CJ.

Another blooming NZ Tea Tree

2011-10-05T20:53:00.000+08:00

This Leptospermum Scoparium has been blooming since May 2011. The bloom is reaching its' peak. So I decided to photo it. This is the first time I photo this tea tree which I have been training over the last 12 years. It was kind of neglected until about 3 years ago when I started to pay more attention to it.
Enjoy n cheers. CJ

Update on my smallest Tea Tree bonsai

2011-09-12T13:09:00.000+08:00

This little fella is blooming profusely this Spring. It was air-layered in 2007. Here it is in a self made pot.
Enjoy and cheers, CJ

Colours In My Backyard

2011-09-01T15:27:00.003+08:00

Here are some colours in my backyard. Hope u enjoy them. CJ

Blooming NZ Tea Tree

2011-07-25T16:39:00.000+08:00

Today I photographed this NZ Tea Tree bonsai which is in full bloom. A Leptospermum Scoparium Civic Pride, it was developed from ordinary nursery stock about 11 years ago. The flowers have cabbage petals and is a mixture of white and purplish pink. I once counted over 5,000 flowers on a larger tea tree bonsai. So I presumed this one must have thousands of flowers as well. Enjoy. CJ

Camelia Japonica in bloom

2011-06-28T13:29:00.004+08:00

I dug this Camelia from a house under demolation in the North of Perth in 2001. I still remember the day the demolition contractor called me. I have this agreement with him whereby I will bring a carton of beer for his workers for every site he recommended to me. He was so excited and insisted that I must come to see the site he was working on. I rushed to the site and wow ! A garden full of some fantastic trees and plants. This is one of the smallest tree I dug from this site. I was told the trees were planted when the house was build about 50 years ago. So biologically this Camelia is about 60 years old. I potted it into this Chinese pot 2 years ago. I know this tree deserves a much better pot. I am still looking for one. I may eventually have to make one myself.

Irish Strawberry / Arbutus Unedo

2011-06-09T22:27:00.001+08:00

This Irish Strawberry bonsai was trained from an ordinary nursery stock since 2001. I find the Irish Strawberry to be a good material for bonsai. It grows fast if well fed. It has white flowers in Autumn which will turn into fruits in late Winter/early Spring. The amazing thing is the fruits stay on the tree for a long time. So very often I have both fruits and flowers on the tree at the same time in Autumn. The fruits will turn from green to yellow and then orange and finally red. The Irish Strawberry is sceptible to scales attack. A regular spray of white oil should take care of this problem.
This bonsai was recently displayed at the 24th AABC Perth 2011 Exhibition/Convention. It won a merit award judged by Megumi and Min Hsuan Lo. A good friend from Sydney likes the tree very much. So I offered it to her. She refused to take it without giving something in return. So I told her if that is the only way she will take the tree back to Sydney, then just do as she please. I packed it into a big carton box and she took it back with her on her flight back. It is now safely in a nice home with an expert loving pair of hands looking after it. Could not have asked more for one of my creation. CJ

24th AABC Perth 2011 Convention

2011-06-02T11:18:00.003+08:00

The 24th AABC Perth 2011 Convention was held at the Fremantle Esplanade Hotel from May 20 to May 23. It was a highly successful event. The exhibits were of high standard and nicely displayed in a spacious hall. There are chairs for visitors to sit down to enjoy as well as discuss the trees. This must be a world first for bonsai exhibition. Participants from all over Australia had a wonderful time as well as learned alot from bonsai master Min Hsuan Lo, Megumi as well as local presenters. We have nothing but good feedback. All the hardworks and sacrifices by all the people involved were worth it. A job well done.

A tiny She-oak

2011-05-28T11:30:00.003+08:00

This is one of my tiny air-layered She-oak/Casuarina. It comes in at 8cm tall with a 4.5cm base. The She-oak air-layered easily. In early spring, it takes only about 4 weeks to get new roots. This bonsai was first trained on the branch of a big tree. When it was about 80 -90 % complete, I air-layered it. In about 6 months they can be put into the bonsai pot. This is one very fast way to obtain a decent small bonsai in less than 2 years.

BCI Best Bonsai AABC Convention Perth 2011

2011-05-27T10:36:00.006+08:00

This Swamp Paperbark / Melaleuca Rhaphiophylla won the BCI best bonsai award at the recent AABC Perth 2011 convention at Fremantle Esplanade Hotel. I immediately offered the tree to the Bonsai Society of WA for auction to help defray the cost of the convention. Before the convention I was told we may end up losing money. So this is my little gesture to help them. We managed to raise $1,900 which went into the convention fund. I last heard we may end up making a small profit.

This tree was dug from a development sit in Canning Vale in 2001. It was one of a number of trees I got from this dig organised by BSWA. The major part of the trunk movements were already there. My efforts involved the growing and training of the branches and the apex. So this tree is basically shaped by nature. I took it from nature and return it to society for the benefits of the community. That's the way I look at my gesture.

The Swap paperbark grow very fast and is greedy. So have to feed it frequently. I used Osmocote Plus for Natives supplemented with a liquid feed of seasol + miraclegro. Constant trimming is necessary to keep them in shape. As the wood is soft due to the fast growth, watch out for wood borer. Also sprinkle systematic insecticide on the soil to prevent the leave from mite attack which caused it to curl up. Remove water shoots immediately. Left uncheck they can grow rapidly and deprive nutrients from nearby branches leading to dieback. In the hot summer month of Perth, soak them in a shallow tray of water.

From my experiences, the Melaleuca Rhaphiophylla is one of the more tolerant of the paperbarks. I have successfully dug quite a number of them. They do tolerate bare rooting during spring.

A Banksia Bonsai

2011-04-07T11:45:00.002+08:00

More than 10 years ago I first drove down to Albany with my family. We stopped at Mt Barker on our way back. We visited a Banksia Farm where Banksia of all varieties were grown a huge property. I bought three different Banksia seedlings to train as bonsai. This is the only successful one. I have lost the label and is not sure which particular specie of Banksia is this.

Another Small Wild Olive

2011-03-31T00:00:00.003+08:00

This is another of the small wild olive trees which I was fortunate to come across at an Olive Plantation up in the hills in 2001. I try to train it in the way an Olive tree grows naturally.

An endemic Australian Native - Kunzea Ambigua

2011-03-27T21:47:00.009+08:00

Sometime in 2001, while browsing through a nursery I came across a bunch of interesting looking shrub which I have never seen before. I particularly like the foliage which looks like five needle pine from a distance. I was not sure whether it is suitable for bonsai. However for a $1 each, you can't lose much. So I bought about a dozen. I started to train this fella a few months later. This is the result after 9+ years. The sequence of photos show its' development over the years. Subsequently I learned that Kunzea is endemic to Australia. That means it can only be found in Australia. Of the 35 species only one can be found outside Australia - Kunzea Ericoides which can also be found in New Zealand.

An Azalea more tiny than my smallest NZ Tea Tree Bonsai

2011-03-22T17:22:00.003+08:00

Today I potted and photo this Azalea Satone into a proper Bonsai pot. It has been growing in this recycled plastic container for the last 4 years. At about 4cm it is even more tiny than my smallest NZ Tea Tree Bonsai. It was grown from a cutting. Satone cuttings root easily. Satone has small leave which make it highly suitable for bonsai. However the downside is this azalea don't flower. Yes NO flower.

Another Tiny NZ Tea Tree Bonsai

2011-03-08T23:40:00.002+08:00

A few days ago, I clean this fella up and photo it for the first time. It stands at 6 cm tall. It is a Leptospermun Scoparium Red Damask.

Update On My Smallest NZ Tea Tree Bonsai

2011-03-05T21:52:00.003+08:00

This little fella is still alive and blooming. So I took some pix of it and posted onto the IBC forum. It is about 2 inches tall. I hope to keep it alive for as long as possible. NZ tea tree is a very demanding specie to bonsai. It requires continuous care and attention. Some general guidelines on handling them are 1. Always keep the top soil moist. 2. Never completely defoliate. 3. No bare-rooting. Clean cut for root reduction. 4. Feed them well. 5. Protect them from intense heat. I am still learning. Every now and then, they and the weather throw up some nasty surprises. Recently we have a sort of heat wave record in Perth and I was not prepared for it. So I lost a few of my smaller tea trees despite my intensive care and attention.

2010-12-27T11:36:00.003+08:00

This is one of four bottle brush I dug from a demolition site
in Nov 2001. Some, especially those deeply schooled in the
Japanese Bonsai traditions don't like the exposed "knee"
root on the right. Years ago I almost chopped it off.
Fortunately I did not. I used to be an adherant to the
Japanese Bonsai traditions. However when I see more and
more of the amazing naturalistic bonsai from Taiwan, my
bonsai consciousness widened. I began to appreciate the
different ways of bonsai art. Such exposed roots are common
in Chinese Penjing. In fact they are appreciated. So what is
ugly to some is beauty to another giving meaning to the
Taoist saying that there is beauty in ugliness. That exposed
"knee" root can be rationalised as counter balancing the
leftward inclination of the tree. You get the feeling that
it is holding the tree to the ground. Such exposed roots can
be found in nature. They are the works of wild elements
like strong wind, storm and erosion.
CJ

My smallest tea tree bonsai

2010-12-21T22:53:00.004+08:00

This is my smallest tea tree bonsai. As tea tree bonsai are
so rare, this could well be the smallest in the world.
It is over two years old. The challenge is to keep it alive
for as long as possible. Not an easy task. I will try my best.

Bosai Society of West Australia Exhibition 2010

2010-11-21T22:28:00.002+08:00

In Oct. the Bonsai Society of West Australia held its' 2010 Exhibition. You can watch a short video clip of the event here:

A Blooming Azalea

2010-11-08T11:04:00.002+08:00

I bought this azalea from John Coles Nursery a few years ago. I have lost the tag and is not sure which type of azalea this is. The scares of the major cut I made to the trunk are still visible. Azalea is a slow grower. They also tend to grow side ways. I hope to grow more branches to thicken up the crown. It is now a little bare.

My First Wild Olive Bonsai

2010-11-07T22:05:00.005+08:00

This is my first wild olive bonsai. It was given to me in August 2001 by a friend. The first picture is a graphic representation of it. My friend dug this wild olive from a farm in Brunswick, to the South of Perth. For two years nothing happen. My friend thought it was dead and almost threw it away until he was advised to give it a little more time. For some strange reason, the olive started to grow.

I cut off the base and the top three trunks along the dark line. It grew very well and by Sept 2002 which is only 13 months later, the bonsai was shaping up nicely. In 2007, I repotted it into a Japanese pot.

A Cascade Tea Tree Bonsai

2009-12-18T13:59:00.003+08:00

My bonsai knowledges and skills are mostly self-taught thru

books. My first book was Practical Bonsai For Beginners by Kenji

Murata. The books I learned most are Bonsai Techniques I and

II by the late John Yoshi Naka. I still considered them to be the

best bonsai books ever written. It has depth and is full of

illustrations. The author knew and experienced what he wrote.

The same cannot be said of many other books including those

covering other subjects. At times I wondered whether the authors

knew what they have written.

In one of the chapters on bonsai styles, John Naka wrote about

the different types of cascade. Most books mentioned about

semi and full cascade. In John's book, he broadened the scope of

cascade bonsai to include strings cascade, waterfall cascade, vertical

cascade, cliff cascade and multiple trunks cascade.

I have not seen any strings cascade and there was no illustrations

in John Naka's book. This tea tree bonsai represents my

interpretation of a string cascade. It was trained from ordinary

nursery stock over the last 8 - 9 years. It is a medium size

bonsai. This variety of Leptospermun Scoparium is called

Civic Pride. The flowers have a mixure of white and purplish-

pink with carbage petals.

A Mame Wild Olive

2009-12-09T22:59:00.011+08:00

In Nov 2001, the BSWA organised an olive dig at an olive
plantation in Rolleystone. It was my lucky day. I stumbled
over an area that was mowed over the years by the
plantation owner. So I ended up with quite a number of this
tiny but old little trees. This is one of them. The first picture
shows the tree after about 2 years. The second picture was
taken last year. It is only 9.5cm tall. There are many types
of wild olive trees. The ones with tiny leave are the best for
bonsai. Olive trees are drought tolerant. A few years ago
when I was on a bonsai tour of Japan, three of my bonsai
dried up. They looked dead. One of them is an azalea, another
a melaleuca and the last an olive bonsai. I applied some of
the tricks I knew in an effort to revive them. Of the three,
only the wild olive bonsai came back. The wild olive tree
with small leave is highly recommended for bonsai. They
are hardy, grow very well in the climate of Perth and
tolerate bare-rooting. The are very greedy and if well fed
will grow fast.

A Shohin Tea Tree

2009-12-06T23:29:00.003+08:00

Generally Shohin Bonsai is classified as those not exceeding 25 cm.
Some will want to stick to the stricter tradition of 20 cm. This
Leptospermun Scoparium Pink Cascade is 19.5 cm. It was developed
from an ordinary nursery stock over the last 7 -8 years. The good
things I like about small bonsai are that they are less taxing on the
back (the older you get the small your bonsai become), consume less
resources and take up less space. However in the dry hot summer
of Perth, WA, it is a challenge keeping them healthy. So more care
and attention are needed.

A Baeckea Bonsai

2009-12-04T13:06:00.006+08:00

In October 09, I put this up for show at the Bonsai Society of

Western Australia Exhibition in Freemantle Town Hall. A few

members of the public told me that this tree reminded them of

some of our gum trees linning the roads up to Geralton. I have

not been to Geralton and so was curious. Perhaps, I should drive

up to that part of WA to have a look. Anyway this bonsai was

trained from ordinary nursery stock which cost me A$1 ( no

mistake one dollar) over the last 8-9 years. I have put in some

extra efforts on the refinement of this bonsai and like the result.

The efforts were worth it. Even though it is only 29cm tall, it

does look like one of our old gum tree growing wild. This, in my

view, is the essence of bonsai. The creation of an illusion that

you have somehow magically shrunk a fullgrown tree to grow in

a pot. The scientific name used to be Baeckea Virgata but has

now been renamed as Babingtonia Virgata. This specie has nice

bark, fine foliages and tiny white flowers. However the matured

wood is brittle and the foliages need constant maintenance to

stay in shape. It is quiet hardy and do tolerate drastic root

prunning. Will bud back.

A bottlebrush bonsai

2009-12-03T11:57:00.004+08:00

Well, beside making bonsai from tea tree, I also played around
a fair bit with other Australian natives. Today, let me show you
one of my bottlebrush bonsai. I have been training it for the last
9 years. What I like about this specie are the distinctive attractive
barks and the consistent flowering in early Spring. If they are
well look after, they will reward you with a second flowering
season immediately after the first.

Rich Patronages Drive Taiwan Bonsai Scene

2009-11-19T22:24:00.013+08:00

The rich in Taiwan are collecting bonsai in addition to antique. This is one of the major reason for the vibrancy of the Taiwanese Bonsai scene. Money and plenty of it are driving this market. The prices being quoted for some of these bonsai are way beyond the means of most people. I counted at least 30 bonsai on display in the name of this person whom I learned is a wealth Taiwanese businessman. Here are some of his trees on display.

More Pix of Taiwan Aspac2009

2009-11-16T12:08:00.000+08:00

Massive Taiwan 10th ASPAC 2009

2009-11-14T22:25:00.001+08:00

Recently I spend a week in Taiwan attending the massive Taiwan 10th ASPAC 2009. Massive in the number of trees - 760. Massive in the size of the tree - most of them are more than 2 person bonsai. Some may even need a folklift. Massive in the standard and quality of bonsai on display. Massive in the bonsai not on display. Mr Loh Min Suan had only two trees on display. Some well known Taiwanese masters were not represented. Amy Liang still has hundreds in her private garden. Massive in the materials available. Tawan has definitely established itself as a world leader in bonsai. Here are some of the hundreds of photos I took. Will post more as and when I have the time.

Another Type of tea tree

2009-11-13T16:24:00.000+08:00

This is another type of tea tree. It is a Leptospermum polygalifolium or more commonly listed as Leptospermum flavescens. This cultivar is Pacific Beauty. The biliogical age of the tree is more than 20 years. I have been training it for the last 6 - 7 years. The natural form of the tree is weeping which is the way I trained it. It flowers abundantly in early Spring. Quiet a sight especially those mature trees growing in the ground. From a distance they look like snow in Spring.

A Leptospermum Scoparium Pink Cascade Bonsai

2009-10-16T11:49:00.000+08:00

The scientific name for Manuka is Leptospermum Scoparium. Leptospermum Scoparium is one of 80 specie in the Leptospermum family. There are many varieties of Leptospermum Scoparium. The most common is Leptospermum Scoparium Pink Cascade. Today I post one of my Pink Cascade bonsai. It was trained from ordinary nursery stock for about 9 years.

New Zealand Tea Tree - The Ultimate in Forbidden Bonsai

2009-10-16T01:20:00.001+08:00

The New Zealand Tea Tree also commonly known as Manuka is an extremely difficult specie to develop and train into good bonsai. It has the reputation as THE ULTIMATE IN FORBIDDEN BONSAI. Had I known about this earlier, I might not have taken on this journey. As the saying goes "Ignorance is bliss.". It was only after I successfully bonsai the Manuka that I learned that many have tried but very few succeeded. I have seen only two New Zealand Tea Tree Bonsai outside my garden. One in Japan, and the other owned by an acquintance in Perth, Western Australia.
This adventure of mine started in 1987. I was on holiday with my family in Western Australia and was overwhelmed by the beauty of Manuka flowers. With my bonsai interests, I thought the Manuka with its' tiny foliages and attractive flowers might be a good candidate for bonsai. So when I moved to Perth in 1998 and after settling the family in, I bought some Manuka to bonsai. How little did I realized what I was in for.
To cut a long story short, I killed three dozens of them before I succeeded in extracting their (Manuka) secrets of handling them to their satisfactions. Even as garden plants, the Manuka is very fickle. They are extremely touchy and slight disturbance of their roots or lack of care and they wish you goodbye. For the first time, I learned of Instant Death in plant. An ex-nursery person told me that they usually lost half of their Manuka stock.
I will post the results of my over 10 years of frustrations and joy in developing and caring for New Zealand Tea Tree Bonsai.