from the blog

Japanese Black Pine Styling

Japanese Black Pine Styling

January 16, 2026

Last week we took a look at this leggy Black Pine. The pine reminded me of a crane. Taking off with its long neck stretched out. It won’t be a good bonsai with such wings. So they need to be tucked in. And that neck is overlong.  Nice bark on this one. Maybe 35 years […]

How Kaizen May Be Applied To Bonsai

How Kaizen May Be Applied To Bonsai

January 9, 2026

In the 1930’s engineer Walter Shewhart developed the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle of work. This inspired Taiichi Ohno in the late 1940’s with the idea of kaizen, a manufacturing mindset of continual, incremental improvements. It is credited with the success of Toyota. Now the concept is used in many businesses. The word has two parts, kai […]

2025 Blooper Reel

2025 Blooper Reel

January 2, 2026

To continue with tradition, here is the year’s photographic odds and ends. Hope you enjoy.  It’s always best to start things off with a chicken, if you have one. This one was drinking water drops off my glass doors. Your normal prop for photographing bonsai.  At a Chicago restaurant that specialized in vegan sushi. The […]

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