The Bonsai Blog of Morten Albek

August has been a wet wet month, just like July. The trees are growing slow, so development is not progressing very much at the moment. Well, it gives me more time to work on my house, paint some rooms, and remodelling the kitchen a little. Nothing to do with bonsai, but things that also has to be done. Furthermore my main pc is broken, so my websites suffers a bit. No updates there at the moment. Hopefully the pc will be running again in September. Some articles are stuck there fore Bonsai Focus, so Farrand Bloch has to be a bit patient with this. The Shohin-bonsai book progresses now, and I look so much forward to see it published. I will let you know as soon as I know when it is released. Praying for some warm weather and to see the sun a little in the late part of the growing season.

The Shohin-bonsai book, Less is more (name changed later – see the post from November 2007 and later) is on the way to the public.It has taken a long time but progression is done quickly now, and the book will be printed in July.

Right now the text part is finished with the final editing, and the layouter is preparing the book. A process that will take about a month.I look forward very much to the release of the book, that has been delayed some.

I hope it will meet the requirements of both beginners and more experienced Shohin enthusiasts.

The book will describe different techniques well suited for Shohin and Mame-bonsai. I also focus on some of the different issues about displaying Shohin-bonsai, hopefully succeeding to spread out the knowledge of this special part of the art.

A lot of pictures are included, and I have tried also to include other artists in order to show different kind of works for inspiration.

I will of course keep you updated of further news about the release, how to purchase the book, prize i.e. here and at www.shohin-europe.com

Regards, Morten Albek

I had the pleasure travelling to Ribeirão Preto in Sao Paolo, Brazil, in late May. Kind Mario A. G. Leal hosted the Bonsai 2007 event focusing on Shohin-bonsai. As head demonstrator at this event I had the privilege to work on some very good material. The Shinpaku Juniper presented for me I must admit looked extremely difficult at first, but after a closer examination it proved very talented.

I found the fellow Brazilian demonstrators very enthusiastic, and also very talented. There really are some potential in South America. Furthermore the growing season is very long which makes it possible to shorten the time reaching results by almost the half of what is needed here in Northern Europe. Japanese black pines and the Shinpaku juniper grows very good under this hemisphere, allthough the big differences of climate must be taken into account, Brazil stretching over an enormous area, from cold south to hot north regions.

Four hour of works later, assisted by Charles White, a talented Brazilian bonsai artist, it was possible to present a future good and powerful looking cascade bonsai in Chuhin size (app. 45 cm high), assisted by another work done at the same time, a native Brazilian Cherry, Cerejeira. Also a number of Shohin-bonsai I styled for some participants, giving me good training and the fun of styling some native species I normally do not get my hands on. In the evening good talks, local music jazzed by Mario, his son brother and friends made this week in Brazil a very good one.

Thank you Mario my friend, Bergson, Charles, family, friends and all you enthusiastic and nice people participating in the event, for the pleasant stay.    

May is a busy bonsai month

So many things to take care of in the bonsai garden, and further more local demonstrations, and a travel to Brazil to do demo and workshop with Shohin-bonsai in focus. Makes job and family being a little set aside this month. Sorry family, sorry job. But I love it this month, where everything happens. Pines needs their elongating needle bundles pinched, maple must be leaf thinned, junipers pinched i.e. All at once, but it is enjoyable to take the small trees in the hand and work with them.The picture shows the work on a Berberis that will appear in Bonsai Focus later this year i expect. (Bonsai Focus is the new version of Bonsai Europe and Bonsai Today melted together in one great magazine).

New leaves are opening for the coming season. If you haven’t wired during the winter or earlier spring it is now the time to wire deciduous trees, before the buds open and develop new leafs. When wired, keep an eye on the branches when the leaves develop. Young branches may need the wire removed after a few weeks, because the branches swells when leafs unfolds and the water takes up more water than during the winter.