Welcome to All in One Bonsa

Bitten by the Bug


Welcome to All in One Bonsai...a blog that aims to remind me of what I have forgotten. Over the years I have been finding out as much as I can about the art of bonsai. I hope the information in this blog will shed some light to the beginning bonsai enthusiast out there.


I saw some bonsai trees at a corner market one night in Taipei and asked the guy if he was willing to teach me how to create these miniature trees. He directed me to a night school where all the instruction was in Chinese. My Chinese ability is very ordinary at the least so although I was learning bits and pieces, I really wasn't getting all I wanted from the course. The best parts were when the teacher would start pruning a beautiful tree or when he showed us how to repot a bonsai. The mystery was still out there but my interest wasn't waning, if anything it fueled my motivation to find out more. And so I did.


Let the adventure begin...


Recently I have discovered the joy of pottery. Bonsai and pottery are close friends so it was only a matter of time before I was introduced to her. Welcome to All in One Bonsai...and pottery.


Feel free to visit my site where you can purchase some of my handmade pottery. Quite a few pieces have been wood fired as it is the prefered method here in Taiwan:


Esty Shop: AllinoneCeramics




Saturday, 14 November 2015

Find a Way

Follow the Trunk Line

The reason I bought this small Itogawa juniper is because it had some good features.  The two main areas are the trunk - thickish compared to the side branches, and the second is that the leaves are small.  Some junipers have slightly larger leaves which make it more challenging to create a shohin bonsai.  The larger scale like leaves are best suited for a bigger bonsai.  It is all about proportion.  

So this is the tree.  It served up a few challenges.  

When faced with something like this, always follow the trunk line.  Scan it starting from the base and continue its line until you can imagine the apex.  Remember, you will be using wire so moving the trunk around (within reason) should also be in your mind.

As you do this also consider a side branch that could possibly be the new apex and the remaining upper section of the trunk could be turned into a jin (dead wood).

Continue visualizing the trunk line and picture where those other branches will be placed.  You don't need to have everything perfectly planned out.  I don't anyway!  Your most important consideration should be the trunk.

Once you work out the structure of the trunk you can begin from the bottom and re position all the other branches.

I plan to repot this guy in spring in a nice pot.

Take care out there!

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3 comments:

  1. david16 November 2015 at 22:07

    What a magnificent transformation: it scarcely looks like the same plant! I love the shape of the tree after your efforts.
    BTW: I'm less impressed with the tiny font!!

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    Replies
    1. Marcus17 November 2015 at 15:41

      Thank Dave...I have to agree. I put it down to some computer glitch. I worked around the clock to get it rectified and with only partial success. The All in One Bonsai team would once again like to thank you for your support and comments on our posts over the past 3 years. We have an annual meeting this coming Friday at a venue called Ulis. I trust to see you there.

      Delete
  2. david22 November 2015 at 22:29

    The meeting was a great success, don't you think? Many items of great import were discussed, and many of them were also solved to our satisfaction, if I recall correctly!

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