Step foreward

Yesterday I was working again on my friend's mugo pine. It was time to wire it for the second time. We did the first styling on this one last spring after it was sitting in its container for about 2-3 years after collecting, so it was nice and helthy. The progress this tree made in two growing seasons is immense and is already looking very fine. I'm just not completelly satisfied with the second branch on the left. It needs to be brought more to the right. The tree will be repotted in spring in a smaller pot.

Before any work in spring 2013.

China penjing & scholar's rocks

Over the past two weeks I was lucky enough to have good friends who gave me two issues of the China penjing & scholar's rocks magazine. The reason why I was so happy to get them is there are photos of my bonsai in them.

In the first issue there is a report of the 2011 EBA exhibition in Ratingen, Germany, where I exhibited my Thuya occidentalis 'Smaragd'.

In the second one the article is about the 2012 EBA in Ljubljana, Slovenia. For starters my award-winning juniper is on a whole page.

And also my second bonsai, an azalea, is included.

Plus some photos of Tony Tickle's demo where I was his assistent.

Sakka-Ten

This weekend Nippon Bonsai Sakka Kyookai Europe organized another Sakka-Ten exhibition, which takes place every two years. This year it was held in Fiesole, which is just outside Florence, Italy.
The exhibition itself was fairlly small, but most of the exhibited bonsai were of good quality. Outside was also a vending area with a nice selection of pots. But you know...The pot you are looking for is not one of the ones available. :)

Since I was already in Florence, I couldn't resist some sightseeing.