Bonsai Time Podcast

04/10/2024

Winter is coming! As our trees prepare for their dormancy, maybe their bare branches will point out areas you'd rather hide. Scar on the trunk? Dead branch stump? Deadwood carving could be one solution to make those events into a feature that adds to the sense of age and history on your tree. Then the question is when to use each method of deadwood carving? That is exactly what we discussed in the latest episode of the Bonsai Time Podcast with .

Find our latest episode in your podcast feed or come to this weekend's Bonsai Society of Greater Cincinnati annual fall show - you may find Kevin and Ryan there!
www.BonsaiTimePodcast.com

21/08/2024

Our recent guest, Darren Bloomfield, also shared with us what it's like to be a foreign bonsai hobbyist living in Japan. Here you can see some pictures of his collection. One of the perks of doing bonsai in Japan is there is a wealth of trees of all levels for us to play with! Learn more about Darren's experiences in Japan and travel tips for your visit in our recent episode.

https://www.bonsaitimepodcast.com/2024/08/a-foreigners-survival-guide-for-bonsai.html

19/08/2024

Have you thought about visiting Japan or even MOVING to Japan full time to see the bonsai sights in the place where it all began? In the latest episode of the Bonsai Time Podcast, Darren Bloomfield, an expat from the UK living in Japan, explains the easy process anyone can follow to move to Japan as an English teacher. He and Kevin also discussed what it's like to be a foreigner bonsai hobbyist in Japan and travel tips for your next visit.

See the episode in your podcast/Youtube feed or find it at our website.
https://www.bonsaitimepodcast.com/2024/08/a-foreigners-survival-guide-for-bonsai.html

01/08/2024

One of the things that Eisei-en Bonsai told us he was looking forward to while moving his bonsai nursery from the US back to Japan is the opportunity to acquire and maintain historic Japanese bonsai for his students to learn on. Hear more about Bjorn's plans for Eisei-en Kyoto and new content planned for Bonsai-U in our most recent interview at the link below.
https://www.bonsaitimepodcast.com/2024/07/from-america-to-japan-bonsai-odyssey.html

These photos are all examples of Bjorn's work from his time as a bonsai apprentice at Kouka-en in Japan. See his portfolio for more.
https://www.bjornbjorholm.com/portfolio/

17/07/2024

In the latest episode of the Bonsai Time Podcast, Bjorn Bjorholm of Eisei-en Nursery joins to discuss his latest transition - moving an entire bonsai nursery from America to Japan and how he plans to evolve his business and educational platform Bonsai-U with this change.

Find the podcast and YouTube links and links to everything Bjorn is doing on the show notes.
https://www.bonsaitimepodcast.com/2024/07/from-america-to-japan-bonsai-odyssey.html

10/06/2024

Bonsai is motivation.
Bonsai is meditation.
Bonsai is perseverance.
Bonsai is humility.
Bonsai is anti-ego.
Bonsai is mindfulness.
Bonsai is calm.
Bonsai is patience.
Bonsai is joy.
Bonsai is creativity.
Bonsai is planning.
Bonsai is change.
Bonsai is acceptance.
Bonsai is challenge.
Bonsai is fresh air.
Bonsai is longevity.
Bonsai is fulfillment.
Bonsai is unplugged.
Bonsai is community.
Bonsai is sharing.
Bonsai is learning.
Bonsai is awareness.
Bonsai is gratitude.
Bonsai is empathy for nature.
Bonsai is cross-species collaboration.
Bonsai is Earth.
Bonsai is life.

The side effects of practicing bonsai may include any or all of the above.
What is bonsai to you? Let us know!

See the Bonsai Time Podcast Episode 34 "How Does Practicing Bonsai Impact our Wellbeing?" for a more detailed discussion on the benefits of bonsai.
https://www.bonsaitimepodcast.com/2024/06/how-does-practicing-bonsai-impact-our.html

05/06/2024

What does it take to turn the bonsai hobby into a business? Our next guest Josh Hooson came on for this minisode to share his background both in bonsai and as an entrepreneur as well as some tips for others thinking about going big on bonsai professionally.

Find this chat on Youtube, podcast apps, or at the link below and check back next week for 2 new episodes of deeper discussions with Josh!
https://www.bonsaitimepodcast.com/2024/06/bonsai-as-business-with-josh-hoosoon-of.html

07/05/2024

What is the Ben Oki Bonsai Scholarship and why should you apply? How can you improve your odds of success? To answer these questions, we recently sat down with Bob Pressler of . Both parts of our interview with Bob Pressler are live now! The first part goes in depth into Bob's history in bonsai as well as the history of the and how the scholarship started. There is also some discussion of what makes a good application. Then the second part is more stories of what Kevin and Kelly got out of the scholarship as past winners and how to apply for this year!

Good luck to all of those thinking of their ideas and writing the short application this month!
See both episodes in your podcast feed, on our YouTube, or at the link below.
https://www.bonsaitimepodcast.com/2024/05/why-you-should-apply-for-ben-oki.html

02/05/2024

One topic we discussed in Episode 29 with Dr. Gordon Bonan was his unique American Chestnut bonsai he is developing from young nursery stock. They are unique due to their rarity. As a species, American Chestnut once dominated the eastern US forests and was cherished for its reliable, annual nut crops both for human and wildlife consumption. Also known as the "Redwood of the east" due to the massive size they could attain in old age! But unfortunately in the last 100 years this species has nearly disappeared due to a foreign fungal blight which arrived from introduced non-native chestnut species. Now there are intensive research and conservation efforts to figure out how resistant American chestnuts can be created and propagated. You can hear our full discussion on Gordon's experience growing these as bonsai at the link below (Episode 29) and see the 2nd link below on the American Chestnut Foundation to learn more about the future of this species!

https://www.bonsaitimepodcast.com/2024/04/forests-climate-and-bonsai-with-dr.html

https://tacf.org/about-us/

30/04/2024

Practicing bonsai is a microcosm of understanding biology on earth. We and our plants interact daily with weather conditions, soil microbes, and all sorts of chemical reactions that sustain life. So how does it all tie together? Dr. Gordon Bonan had a lot to say on this subject. We hope you learn a lot in this episode and think big picture with your bonsai!

Both episodes of this 2 part interview are out now! Find them in your podcast app, or at the link below.
https://www.bonsaitimepodcast.com/2024/04/forests-climate-and-bonsai-with-dr.html

22/04/2024

Happy Earth Week! We are excited to release a 2-part series in mother nature's honor with climate scientist and bonsai artist Dr. Gordon Bonan of Colorado. So if you want to learn more about how forests impact our world, and how lessons from the climate will impact our current and future bonsai practices this is a great episode for you!

For this special 2-part Earth Day series, Kevin and Ryan interviewed Dr. Gordon Bonan, a Colorado-based bonsai artist and climate scientist. We asked Gordon ...

04/04/2024

Here are a couple of striking bonsai displays from our latest guests - Rodney and Charlie Clemons of All Good Bonsai in Stone Mountain, GA, USA.

The first tree was displayed at a recent Winter Silhouette exhibit in North Carolina.

01/04/2024

Ever wonder what it would be like if your partner was a bonsai head also?
Check out our latest episode exploring the history of Rodney and Charlie Clemons - an iconic duo of the Georgia bonsai scene. Rodney is well known for his specialty in boxwood design but less well known is the role of his wife in their nursery "All Good Bonsai" and in the local bonsai scene where they often teach together and collaborate in curating trees in local collections.

07/03/2024

Here are a smattering of pictures we discussed in the recent listener Q / bonsai brainstorm episode ( #27) of the bonsai time podcast. Check out all the relevant pictures from the discussion at www.bonsaitimepodcast.com or on our Youtube Channel.
We'd love to hear if you have alternative ideas on what we discussed!

04/03/2024

What do you do when learning to do bonsai with a new species? How do you pick a pot to match the aesthetic of a tree? How long can a bonsai live in a metal container for?

These are just some of the questions we discussed in the most recent episode ( #27) of the Bonsai Time Podcast. Check out our shownotes to follow along with relevant pictures to the discussion at www.bonsaitimepodcast.com

01/03/2024

It was a special thing to watch all of the discussion surrounding our most recent interview with metal and bonsai artist Ben Keating. Some listeners shared follow-up questions in light of that episode as well as tree pictures recently focused on preparing for spring and working with our trees again. We combined these listener questions with a few of our own for the latest episode as a Listener Bonsai Brainstorm, out now. Follow along with the pictures on YouTube or with the pictures in the show notes as you listen.

BonsaiTimePodcast.com is the centralized location for the latest episodes and full show notes including relevant pictures and resources discussed.

13/02/2024

Here are a few more of the unique sculptures from our latest guest Benjamin Keating. Now that Ben is diving deeper into bonsai, he is exploring how to merge his metal sculpting with principles and ideas in bonsai such as burying his art in the ground for years to give them more natural and aged patina.

Check out www.bonsaitimepodcast.com for more pictures in the show notes.

09/02/2024

Calling our bonsai friends old and new, do you have a pot you're not sure what type of tree to put in it, or maybe a follow-up question on our last interview with Ben Keating?
We are soliciting your questions and pictures for the next Bonsai Brainstorm episode. Please submit by 5pm PST 2/13 and look for it to be released in our feed towards the end of the monthm Any later submissions will be saved for a later episode.

You can submit questions tonus via our DMs, [email protected], or the form on our website
https://www.bonsaitimepodcast.com/p/contact.html

The pic included below is one pot we will discuss what types of trees may pair with it. It is a pot available at .