For the advanced seasoned bonsaist...

[JudyB]

I will post some photos.

Those are some photos!!! Wonderful collection you have going on. Thank you very much for sharing it. The second chinese elm pot is amazing, what is it if you don't mind my asking? The kusamono is so nice, lucky you to have a talented wife that can make you accents!

 

[Kodama16]

Vance, I also like satsuki azaleas. Many people said they have problem growing them in our zone 9 weather, they just died. I am fortunate, have grown quite a number of cultivars. A bonsai friend said it must be my backyard.
Here are some satsuki azaleas:
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Two mid-size satsuki grown from gallon nursery stocks:
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Same "wakaebisu" satsuki not in flowers:
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My wife also does a lot of kusamono:

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You've one great job with your azaleas. I'm also in zone 9 and I keep a lot of azaleas. There fun.

 

[Chuah]

Those are some photos!!! Wonderful collection you have going on. Thank you very much for sharing it. The second chinese elm pot is amazing, what is it if you don't mind my asking? The kusamono is so nice, lucky you to have a talented wife that can make you accents!

I presumed you mean the little oval blue glaze pot. It is a better quality pot from Mr. Zhu Shuiming of Yixing. He made pots for Kindai Bonsai to sell in Japan with a chop mark "Yangming Jiaozhl" in Chinese , or "Yomei Kochi" pronounced in Japanese. He also exported pots under a different chop, "Chun Zai Tang".

I visited Mr. Zhu about 10 years ago, and he gave me some of his higher quality pots as gifts. I kept several as souvenirs and occasionally use them when we have a show. I have one of his very large, 26", hand built pots made from slabs. I planted a field collected 38" tall ingredients elm in it. The pot is very classic looking with carve lion head biting a ring on both ends. I will take a picture to share. I heard he no longer make those large pots, prolly it is more profitable to sell smaller pots with more demands.

 

[Vance Wood]

You do nice work and have nice trees. I know about the arguments concering whether or not you can grow something in your part of the country, I hear t

Is this it?
https://www.google.com/maps/@38.031...4!1sWuZsE00QO4aWiJgSNSgUJw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

If you get the chance to get over that way the address is 480 Pinewood drive. I think it may be gone but I cannot be sure from looking at the google picture.

 

[Chuah]

You've one great job with your azaleas. I'm also in zone 9 and I keep a lot of azaleas. There fun.

Kodama16,
Like you, I love to grow Satsuki. I now have close to 30 cultivars, many of them are small and are still in the bed for thickening. I learned from Taiwanese Satsuki professionals, their weather is more like Florida, for them some large Japanese imports can be difficult to adapt to hot weather like our zone 9. But growing from young plants, they do adapt eventually, and we can grow many cultivars, and hopefully good looking Satsuki bonsai.
Please remember you are welcome to visit if you come this way.

 

[Chuah]

You do nice work and have nice trees. I know about the arguments concering whether or not you can grow something in your part of the country, I hear t

If you get the chance to get over that way the address is 480 Pinewood drive. I think it may be gone but I cannot be sure from looking at the google picture.

Vance,
I am in Houston. The address you gave is it in Huntsville, Alabama? Thanks.

 

[Lazylightningny]

@Chuah- you do good work, sir. I especially love the pyracantha. Lovely tree. Are you Korean by chance? Chuah means "cold" in Korean

@Cadillactaste- great idea for a thread!

 

[Chuah]

Those are some photos!!! Wonderful collection you have going on. Thank you very much for sharing it. The second chinese elm pot is amazing, what is it if you don't mind my asking? The kusamono is so nice, lucky you to have a talented wife that can make you accents!

Yes, she has that curiosity. She got into it because we go to club meeting together. She decided to do those little planting a instead of big trees.

 

[Chuah]

@Chuah- you do good work, sir. I especially love the pyracantha. Lovely tree. Are you Korean by chance? Chuah means "cold" in Korean

@Cadillactaste- great idea for a thread!

I am a third generation Overseas Chinese. My last name Chuah is kind of unusual. No body in China and Taiwan could recognize it because it is pronounced in my grandfather's native Fujian dialect. In China, it would be pronounced as Cai, and Tsai in Taiwan.
I have been to Korea several times. My Korean friends said it is pronunced as " Chae" there, of course my Japanese friends pronunced it as "Sai". Kind of confusing, same writing but called differently. I accept every one of them.
In Korea, I visited the Korean Punjae Association's bonsai nursery in Yangjae. I took a train there, not knowing any Korean, I just showed a piece of paper to the taxi driver, and he took me to the place. I watched how their members worked. they were very nice and showed me hands on without verbal communication. Great learning from them.

 

[Chuah]

The second chinese elm pot is amazing, what is it if you don't mind my asking? !

Judy,
I went out to take some photos of Mr. Zhu's hand built large pot. The tree is a 38" tall collected winged elm. Every thing you see about 2/3 up from the big slant chop are regrown by clip and grow.
The pot is very class with pear-skin clay body. The wall is very thick, put a fertilizer holder for comparison. Very heavy pot, I do not move it other than rotating it on top of the inverted flower pot.

 

[Redwood Ryan]

Started in 1994, my oldest early day tree that still survive is a cascade Juniperus procumbens nana, ~21 years. Have several trees in training for 15-20 years. One of them was ficus microcarpa Tiger Bark, started as a pre-bonsai, now in its 19th year training. It won a 2013 World Bonsai Friendship Federation photo contest, as one of the 25 exceptional trees. It subsequently won the Lone Star State Best of Show in 2014.
This is the photo submitted for the WBFF contest.

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This is the sketch I drew how the pre-bonsai would look like in 1997.
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The envisioned finished height of ~10" was totally wrong, the tree is now about twice as tall with a 30" spread.

Tree in 2001:
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In 2009:
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Defoliated in May 2012:
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Chopped off large back branch in 2012, and brought down a branch above it .

I think I'm in love with this tree...

 

[Cadillactaste]

@Chuah- you do good work, sir. I especially love the pyracantha. Lovely tree. Are you Korean by chance? Chuah means "cold" in Korean

@Cadillactaste- great idea for a thread!

Thanks...just something I've meant to ask...and never got around to doing so. Impressed by all who shared.

 

[Chuah]

Nice idea for a thread. And although not a seasoned bonsaiist, certainly not complared to the impressive career that Vance has.. Some images.

I decided to pick up bonsai in 2011. This was the first plant (Acer pseudoplatanus) I started with, I still have it. Since then I have learned the species is not suited for bnsai culltivation, unless you have a serious trunk; Leaves do not reduce much below 2 inches.. It sits ina growing bed, and I have fund with it, trying to get as fine a ramnification I can, while trying to grow out the trunk a little. We'll see whether in a decade this makes a pleasing winter silhouette!
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In Feb 2012 I bought my first tree, which was an overgrown J communis. The person I bought it from aadmitted to treating it as a hedge, which was showing in the foliage. Now, after about 4 years, the height is reduced to half (ne third?) of the original height, the soil has been fully replaced and I am considering grafting J Chinensis foliage to replace the spiky stuff this plant calls foliage. Oh, yes.. My collection has grown to some 100 plants in pots, and a similar number of plants in growing beds.
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Alain,
Is that you?

 

[parhamr]

Here are two shohin Chinese elms I air-layered from one mallsai.

Impressive! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Chuah]

Thanks...just something I've meant to ask...and never got around to doing so. Impressed by all who shared.

Thanks for this thread, and a lot of people are sharing their trees and experience.

 

[leatherback]

Alain,
Is that you?

Nah, it is Jelle.

 

[JudyB]

Judy,
I went out to take some photos of Mr. Zhu's hand built large pot. The tree is a 38" tall collected winged elm. Every thing you see about 2/3 up from the big slant chop are regrown by clip and grow.
The pot is very class with pear-skin clay body. The wall is very thick, put a fertilizer holder for comparison. Very heavy pot, I do not move it other than rotating it on top of the inverted flower pot.

That is a very cool pot as well. (looks super heavy!) I appreciate your sharing, not just your pictures and trees, but your personal story as well. It is what brings such flavor to the story of the trees.

 

[Chuah]

Nah, it is Jelle.

Jelle,
Nice to meet you. I recently signed up Bonsai Empireforum, there is a user called leatherback (Alain) who suggested I post something about that Tiger Bark Ficus on their forum.

 

[Chuah]

That is a very cool pot as well. (looks super heavy!) I appreciate your sharing, not just your pictures and trees, but your personal story as well. It is what brings such flavor to the story of the trees.

Yes, it is heavy. This is my largest tree now. I gave away big trees to younger bonsai club members, a 42" trident, field dug mulberry, large cascade elm and a big ash. I do not want to break my back.

 

[leatherback]

there is a user called leatherback (Alain) who suggested I post something about that Tiger Bark Ficus on their forum.

Hey, I suspected that was you. However, Alain is a different user there. I am also Leatherback on that forum.