FOBBS Chelsea stand 2015 the big build.

Friday is the first day that Reg and his team from around the FOBBS clubs set up the stand at the famous Chelsea flower show, to promote bonsai to thousands of visitors during the week.

  
Once we had worked out where we were located inside the floral marquee, having not realised our stand number was on the pass we were wearing! We were happy to see the stand was quite level which would help greatly.

   
 

This is our view up on the stand looking out over the marquee. 

  
So on with the build and good progress up to lunch time.

   
 

After a quick pitstop it was on with getting the edging timbers in that crisp up the finish.

   

By the end of the day we had the gravel in place and all in the right bits in the right places. 

   

The stand is just the back drop to the main event, the bonsai. Even great trees on a shoddy stand won’t look as good as is your not really seeing the stand as its pleasing on the eye and not jarring it. So over the weekend the stars will be added and final touches will hopefully catch the judges eye for a decent medal. 

On the way out to catch the train home we got a sneak look at a few of the gardens down the main avenue.

   
       

Some of you may recognise the chap in the flat cap from the Great Chelsea garden programme Sean seemed quite relaxed in his garden and it looked good you will have to watch TV to see it as it would not be fair to show it now.

  
I will update the blog with pictures I hope someone will send me during the week.

This link on Swindons blog shows some more  of the stand.

http://swindon-bonsai.co.uk/2015/05/17/build-up-to-chelsea/

Shohin UK 2 bonsai show 2015

Sorry for a late post on last weeks shohin show. This was the second Shohin UK in Bristol, it was a long wait with the first show back in 2013. It was a huge success and credit to the Coopers and the team for staging another high quality show. Well done to all that put together some super exhibits all very well presented. We need to keep up the momentum for shohin shows so where are we going next year? 

                                                                              

Stone monkey build a bonsai pot day.

Today we had Andrew Pearson’s bonsai pot making workshop at the http://www.marieprett.co.uk singing soul gallery. The aim of the day was to build one main slab built pot and a couple of pinch pots.
For those who don’t know Andrew Pearson bonsai pot maker who trades as stone monkey ceramics entered this years Gafuten pot class for unglazed and glazed pots where he won the gold award in the unglazed class. So we new we were in very good hands. See his site http://www.stonemonkeyceramics.co.uk

Thank you to Marie for a wonderful lunch spread and keeping our tea and coffee levels up.

We started with a couple of pinch pots with very cold clay.

We started with a slab of clay to the right thickness already prepared by Andrew.

Once smooth we decided what we were making and cut out the 4 walls.

Time to start building, we fixed two wall together so we had two sections fixed.

We then got the 4 walls all fixed together.

This made it a bit more handleable, so we got the base put on oversized to begin with.

Having got this well fixed to the base and some coils in to strengthen the seams we put in the drainage holes. I had a Ginko leaf cutter which I have used before for this job.

Trim of the excess, know now looking a bit more pot like.

At this point I felt the pot was a little to harsh on the corners for me and what I have in mind for it. So I set about changing the corners.

With the image softened our attention turned to feet this can be a real make or break feature. I decided to make this a bit more tricky with a stepped foot. I set them back a bit to stop it looking anymore chunky. The height was also reduced which leaves a nice straight finish.

After a whole load of smoothing, final job was to pop in the wire holes.

Flip it back over check it over and there you have it best part of 4 1/2 hr work. Now it will be wrapped in plastic and left to dry for about 6 weeks before having its biscuit firing.

Then we have to choose the glaze, I am sure you all have your own ideas so go on let me know what you would go for. This is the tree that will go in the pot. (It’s a test to see if you got this far)

Will do an update when and hopefully the kiln gods are kind to me.

Below is Andrew at work on the cascade pot he made to show us each stage as we went along.

See andrews work at http://www.stonemonkeyceramics.co.uk

Good grief you still with me.

😥

Update 1/3/15

The pot has dried and here it is after the bisque firing. Another firing to go with the glaze and to make it frost proof.



Taishoen Part 2

I thought I had taken more pictures at the nursery, but realised I must of just been soaking up the enjoyment of our surroundings.
This maple was undergoing some major approach grafts.

Plenty of superb larger trees of the highest quality.

This sign really says it all, the commitment to expand and share the hobby with the whole world.

Thank you to Taiga for all his hospitality during the day and to my superb travelling companions Mark & Ritta and Stewart.

Don’t it look pretty.

Not sure it was in the forecast for today, but it’s here all the same.

Not everything has snow on, small tress tucked away.

Not much inside the pergola.

Another first for Hazel.

Today was going to be moss hunting day, think that will have to wait.

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Taishoen Part 1

This was a true highlight of our trip, not only meeting the talented and very welcoming Taiga, but being treated to a bright clear day to see the majestic Fuji-San

The nursery is bigger than the average that I have visited in the past, the work room is comfortable and warm lit by large glass windows and doors. It was good to see Taiga working alongside the deshi even if his material was better than there’s.

The nursery is well known for its shohin bonsai but it also has a good spread of sizes and species.

That’s all for now, part 2 soon.

O and I brought a pot.

Kouka-en part 3

More trees from Kouka-en nursery.

I think this was my favourite tree, black pine over rock it was interesting and something different.

That’s all from Kouka-en thank you to Bjorn for showing us around and to the others for making it a joy to visit.

Next up will be Taishoen.

Kouka-en part 2

This was a nursery that has been top of my list to visit for some time, and it did not disappoint.

This juniper I first saw in Peter Warrens blog last year, and in the flesh it did not disappoint.

This large Hinoki Sekka that Owen styled a while back was good to meet as I have some of the cuttings he struck from what was removed in the styling.

Chatting with Bjorn about this prunus he said it was struggling due to its age so 4 years ago it was grafted with new foliage and the old all removed. This means everything other than the main trunk is only 4 years old. The tree now grows like a teenager again.

Where as this maple is on a slow decline to the end of its life, it’s already lost a major branch half way up.

Watering in winter is relatively alien to us in the UK other than trees in sheltered position, but in Japan after lunch trees were checked and most were watered we saw this at Taishoen as well.

That’s all for now part 3 soon.

The 85th Meifu-ten 2015 part 2

At this point I would like to thank John Milton for guiding us through the exhibits pointing out why things had been done and history on some trees.

john on the left and Mark Cooper.
Part 3 soon.

The 85th Meifu-ten 2015 part 1

The Meifu-ten is not one many enthusiasts in the west know about, but it is a large show and as its the 85th show been around a long time. Located in Nagoya in a huge what feels like an aircraft hanger it was light but a little chilly (trees were happy). The pictures are not superb all taken with phone but you get the idea.

This tokanoma is what greets you as you walk in, the pine was collected many years ago.

Part 2 soon.