And here in no particular order we proudly present for your enjoyment,
our favorite trees.
our favorite trees.
Gerard Ellison: Chinese Elm #1
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I am a new(er) member to the SDBC, I joined at the end of 2019 and began my bonsai collection in 2016. My wife and I bought our first house in the summer of 2015. One of the best perks was the fully mature and stately Chinese Elm in the front yard. Turns out, they are a very generous tree and seedings were popping up in the yard by the dozens.
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This tree is of one of the first ones that I dug up and successfully grew from 2016 ( I have since cultivated 4 others). It started out as a lanky seedling with the truck shape formed early on, quite accidentally. I have tried to shape it in the image of the full size tree. My Chinese Elm #1 is my favorite tree since it was my first solo attempt and it resembles the parent tree. It has a special place in my garden.
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Susan Mae Hull: Giant Sequoias
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The tree(s) in this photo are not your usual bonsai medium. I am still a novice - nonetheless, I am grooming my forest. I brought the tree to one of the society's "morning experts" for advice, but he was stumped, as he had never experienced them. These are “giant” sequoias. I bought them in plastic tubes at the gift shop in Yosemite National Park. They were 3 years old - even though they were only tiny sticks. I had faith in them and have tended these trees for seven years now, which makes them ten, this birthday. I purchased this exquisite pot on one of the Bonsai Society bus trips. It never occurred to me that I would spend so much (don’t ask) for a flower pot! And so… if a fire were threatening (God forbid) this little forrest is the one treasure I would take from my novice collection. These are my favorite trees. |
Susan Carter: Olive
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The love of my “bonsai life” is Olive. I picked her up at the SDBC Fall Show/Sale in 2017 for a great price. I was new to bonsai and it was love at first sight. She was really in need of some TLC. She had scale and all her leaves were covered with a black, sticky, tar-like substance. I removed the scale, administered a systemic pesticide, and proceeded to use cotton swabs to wash the top and bottom of each and every leaf with soapy water. If that isn’t a bonding experience, I don’t know what is. Although I love all my bonsais, Olive is the one I’d grab on the way out the door. |
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Kyle Icke: Elm
My favorite bonsai is this elm that I call Sea Serpent. We were coming back down from LA on a bonsai bus trip and stopped at a mom and pop nursery that was going out of business. The owners didn’t speak English but helped me understand that if I dug up this elm that had broken through its pot and grown into the ground, I could have it for 15 bucks! So that is what I did.
After I got it home, it did great and I loved it... but so did the deer. Twice. After that the poor thing went to sleep and didn’t wake up for six months. But now it’s doing pretty darn good and it’s getting ready for its first haircut of the year. It's hard to pick favorites, but this tree's tenacity put it on top.
After I got it home, it did great and I loved it... but so did the deer. Twice. After that the poor thing went to sleep and didn’t wake up for six months. But now it’s doing pretty darn good and it’s getting ready for its first haircut of the year. It's hard to pick favorites, but this tree's tenacity put it on top.
Ron Kaelberer: Bald Cypress
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As I have grown old, I've had to adjust to a new reality. Look at the trunk of this bald cypress. It is fat and wrinkled. Twisted and stiff. Its branches are unkempt. For me, it is like looking in a mirror. And yet look at the branches of this bonsai, reaching up and out, still exploring the world, still providing shade below. The leaves so fresh and green in the morning sun. It is old, but still growing and meeting each new day with confidence and curiosity. This bald cypress is my favorite tree. It gives me hope. |
Mike Rhodes: Alberta Spruce Grove
Hello everyone, I'm a new member of the club. My favorite bonsai is the Alberta Spruce Grove (middle of picture) it’s my largest Bonsai and I like the Forrest style. I bought and styled 5 Alberta Spruce trees for this, trying to use an odd number. But it didn’t look right, so ended up using four trees. I added Irish moss and Australian astro turf, but have had trouble with the Astro turf browning. Made this at the start of spring after watching Peter from Heron’s Bonsai U-tube video. But I used information from Bob Hales video on repotting, which was great. I took one Bonsai course while in Japan, but most of what I learned was from U-tube videos. Consider myself new to intermediate for making bonsai, , , in skill level.
While new to making bonsai - I started a love and appreciation for Bonsai when I was stationed in Atsugi, Japan in the 80’s. My wife was a DoD school teacher and I was in the Navy. We loved Japan, and I bought three Bonsai while there, but since we moved every 4 to 6 years, we always gave away all plants before movers arrived. Wish I had those 3 Japanese Bonsai now, they would be 41 years old!
My second favorite in the Golden Gate Ficus (white pot) as it’s 20 years old and my oldest bonsai. Hope to meet other members soon.
While new to making bonsai - I started a love and appreciation for Bonsai when I was stationed in Atsugi, Japan in the 80’s. My wife was a DoD school teacher and I was in the Navy. We loved Japan, and I bought three Bonsai while there, but since we moved every 4 to 6 years, we always gave away all plants before movers arrived. Wish I had those 3 Japanese Bonsai now, they would be 41 years old!
My second favorite in the Golden Gate Ficus (white pot) as it’s 20 years old and my oldest bonsai. Hope to meet other members soon.