Bonsai Wire

In this episode, hosts Andrew Robson and Jonas Dupuich admit to a growing fascination with shohin bonsai.

Hosts Andrew and Jonas reflect on their experiences at "Farm to Table," an event hosted by the Bonsai Society of Portland that celebrated the legacy of Telperion farms and provided participants with concrete steps for developing field-grown material.

In this episode, noted shohin authority John Romano talks with host Andrew Robson about growing and appreciating small bonsai.

Co-hosts Andrew and Jonas give an overview of the Bonsai Society of Portland's upcoming seminar, Farm to Table, and discuss all things related to long-term development of quality bonsai.

Learn more about Farm to Table at: https://www.portlandbonsai.org

Andrew and Jonas critique the 62nd American Bonsai Association Sacramento exhibit held April 9-10 in Sacramento, California.

See Bonsai Tonight for photos of the trees mentioned in this episode:
https://bonsaitonight.com/2022/04/15/highlights-from-the-abass-62nd-annual-exhibit/

Carmen Leskoviansky chats with Samantha Holm about her article "Gender Disparity in American Bonsai" which was published this past summer in Vol. 55 of Bonsai: The Journal of the American Bonsai Society, and the creation the The Purple Pot Society, a national bonsai society focused on uplifting women in bonsai.

Links

Happy New Year! (And apologies for the delay.) In this episode, Andrew and Jonas review lessons from 2021 and highlights they're looking forward to in 2022.

In this episode, Jonas talks with Eric Schrader about next year's Pacific Bonsai Expo to be held in Oakland, CA, on November 12-13.

For a video version of this episode, see the Bonsaify channel on YouTube.

Andrew Robson and Jonas Dupuich catch up with Portland ceramicist Nao Tokutake and learn about how great bonsai pots are made.

Hosts Andrew Robson and Jonas Dupuich catch up with friends at the 7th US National Exhibition in Rochester, New York.

Find a complete list of guests from this episode along with photos of the exhibition at Bonsai Tonight.

Hosts Andrew Robson and Jonas Dupuich, joined by special guest Nao Tokutake, share their thoughts about ten special trees at the 2021 U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition.

See photos of the trees discussed at: https://bonsaitonight.com/2021/09/24/u-s-national-exhibition-critique/

Michael sits down with Carmen to talk about the first months of her apprenticeship.  Carmen shares her experience surviving the “heat dome,” describes early summer work, and outlines goals for what she wants to accomplish and explore over the next three years.

Hosts Andrew Robson and Jonas Dupuich would like to see more diverse species developed as bonsai. Tune in to find out their top three recommendations.

In this episode, host Andrew Robson talks with noted deciduous expert Sergio Cuan about one of their favorite topics: deciduous bonsai.

How do we recognize excellence at bonsai exhibitions? In this episode, Jonas and Andrew discuss different approaches to evaluating bonsai as they prepare for the inaugural Pacific Bonsai Exposition in November, 2022.

Oaks are a fantastic genus for training as bonsai, and John "JT" Thompson is an expert when it comes to oaks. In this episode, JT shares with Jonas the story of how he was introduced to bonsai in Japan, how he developed a love for oaks, and practical tips for how he trains oaks in his Northern California garden.

What are the best ways to grow, style, and propagate the dwarf flowering Japanese quince known as "chojubai"? In this episode, Andrew and Michael talk through their approach to the popular species.

This week the full team, John, Michael, Andrew, and Jonas chat about the tasks after repotting including maple and spruce pinching, pine decandling, choosing shade cloth, and that unending bonsai topic, fertilizing.

In this episode, Jonas and Cheryl McAlister, a painter and beginning bonsai student, talk about art, bonsai, and approaches to learning when we don't know what we don't know. Learn more about Cheryl at https://www.cherylmcalister.com.

Andrew chats with Jonas about building his bonsai garden, Rakuyo. Named for falling leaves or deciduous trees, Rakuyo will be a site for the development of and appreciation for deciduous bonsai.

Andrew interviews Eric and Jonas about their plans to host a regional  bonsai exhibit, the Pacific Bonsai Expo, in fall of 2022.

This week the team talks about all things repotting - soil media, timing, clues telling us when to repot, and aftercare.

Opening our series about women curators of public bonsai gardens, Michael and Jonas chat with Carmen Leskoviansky about the Matthaei Botanical Gardens in Michigan, upcoming apprenticeship with Michael, and her desire to open the bonsai door wider to women. 

Apprentice life has its ups and downs. Kaya Mooney, an apprentice with Keiichi Fujikawa at Kouka-en near Osaka, Japan, shares highlights with John and Jonas and explains what can make the sky purple for apprentices. Learn more about Kaya at https://www.instagram.com/moonlightbonsai

This week Jonas sits down to chat with John about his apprenticeship with Michael at Crataegus Bonsai.  Check out Crataegus at https://crataegus.com/.

This week Michael sits down with Jonas to discuss everything that goes into writing and publishing a bonsai book aimed at helping people start off on the right foot. 2D vs. 3D teaching, tips for bonsai photography, and long lines at Kokufu make appearances along the way.

This week Jonas sits down with Michael to discuss the science, tradition, and fantasy that inform his new book, Bonsai Heresy. It is a deep dive into the thought process, anguish, and joy of writing a book that undoes bonsai myths.

You can purchase Bonsai Heresy at:  https://stonelantern.com/

Ever wonder what it's like to be a bonsai apprentice in Japan? This week Jonas speaks with Adam Toth, an apprentice with Taiga Urushibata at the Taisho-en bonsai garden in Shizuoka to learn about the experience. Join Adam as he shares anecdotes that convey the joys and challenges of apprentice life.
Learn more about Adam at: https://www.instagram.com/adam.jp.bon

In this episode Jonas and John catch up with Eric Schrader and talk about growing trees, working with local natives and much more.

This weekend would have been the US National Bonsai Exhibition, so to honor that event Michael and Jonas sit down with Bill Valavanis and talk about his years of experience. 
The 7th US National Bonsai Exhibition has been rescheduled for September 11-12, 2021.
Please check their website for more details: https://www.usnationalbonsai.com

In this week's bonus episode, Andrew Robson calls Jonas Dupuich about using colanders for pre-bonsai. Enjoy their conversation and please forgive the poor audio quality.We are still working on the watering/fertilizing episode. Please send any questions you have on the topic to 

talk@bonsaiwirepodcast.com by September 30th, 2020

This week John hosts a question and answer session with questions that were submitted to us via talk@bonsaiwirepodcast.com.  Michael and Andrew join in with expert answers and a bit of banter.  We are requesting questions for an upcoming episode about watering, fertilizing and pH adjustment.  Send your questions to talk@bonsaiwirepodcast.com.

Michael Hagedorn's apprentice, John Eads, shares tidbits from his apprenticeship in a new bonus series.  This episode is all about watering, especially in the summer.

We are soliciting questions for an upcoming round-table discussion on watering, pH and fertilizing. Please submit related questions to talk@bonsaiwirepodcast.com.

Jonas, John, Michael, and Andrew share how they got into bonsai, heckle one another with mispronounced names, state goals for the podcast, and offer an ad from our esteemed sponsor, ‘Patina Buster.’ 

 A roundtable debate among the four hosts about the nuanced decision making that goes into selecting trees for one’s backyard including the power of the single decision, the appropriate number of trees, and how choice of species affects both daily and yearly time commitment.

British bonsai icon Colin Lewis shares his move across the water with Jonas and Michael, including his dislike of demonstrations, how to toss your worst tree, the best way to nab a Japanese beetle, and a few really cool observations about bonsai, the community, and how things ‘are a changin’.