AllShapes Bonsai Blog

Bonsai is a blend of imagination, horticulture, and technique.  The imagination factor should not be underestimated as it is necessary to create a convincing bonsai.  We all need a little inspiration sometimes.  Here’s some that you can find in New Jersey.  Some of these trees you can visit, others are no-longer growing but live on through memories and photos.  Enjoy!

The Mercer Oak

This tree was standing in Princeton when we were at war with the British, and there it remained for 300 some years.  It was blown over in a windstorm in 2000 but the photos capture its essence.  According to Wikipedia:

“The Mercer Oak was a large white oak tree that stood in Princeton Battlefield State Park in Princeton Township, New Jersey. The tree was about 300 years old when it was torn by strong winds in March 2000. It is the emblem of Princeton Township and appears on the seal of the township. The tree is also the key element of the seal of Mercer County, New Jersey.

The Mercer Oak was named after Hugh Mercer, a brigadier general in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. During the Battle of Princeton, Mercer was stabbed by an English soldier’s bayonet. According to legend, he was unwilling to abandon his troops, and rested on the tree’s trunk while they stood their ground. After the battle, Mercer was taken to the Clarke House where he died from his injuries nine days later.

On March 3, 2000, a wind storm felled the oak’s last four branches. For public safety reasons, arborists cut off the remnants of the trunk the day after the tree fell. Following the tree’s death, several scions from the tree were planted around the battlefield. In May 2000, an 8-foot sapling grown from a Mercer Oak acorn was planted inside the stump of the former tree.”

The Clement Oak

This White Oak of over 400 years has been a site of Indian tribal rituals, signing of treaties, and the landing spot of the first manned flight in America.

The Council Oak

Treaties purchasing land (Bound Brook) from the Indians were signed under this tree in 1681.

The Indian King Tree

This Sycamore serves as the final resting place to an Indian Chief.  It is located in Burlington County.

The Keeler Oak

This White Oak was so loved that one man asked to have his grave lined with its leaves upon his death.

The Washington Walnut

George Washington used to hitch his horse to an iron ring in the trunk of this tree.

Some more in New Jersey that we couldn’t find pictures for…

Although looking to other bonsai is a great way to learn how techniques are carried out, old trees are a better source of artistic inspiration.  So where do you get yours?  If anyone has seen any of these trees or you know of others that we’re missing please leave a comment.

Many people like to use redwoods as bonsai.  We thought they might appreciate the perspective this video offers on ecological diversity and potential design considerations.  From the “trunks springing from trunks springing from trunks” to the “thickets of huckleberry” that grow in the canopy, to the limbs that fuse between trunks.  These are all characteristics that you can potentially integrate when working on the design for your redwoods.  Others may find aspects interesting, though not related to bonsai, such as an organism found in the oceans that lives in the canopy or species of insects that are thought to only exist on a single tree. (more…)

It’s always fun to have people work on their own trees.  We had a good mix for this workshop, some nearly finished bonsai, some pre-bonsai, some collected native plants to New Jersey.  (more…)

Some of the fall colors around the nursery, both in tropical trees and deciduous, bonsai and pre-bonsai. (more…)

Seeing this new tree at the nursery got me thinking.

Elm Bonsai with One-Sided Roots

According to the “rules” this is not an ideal bonsai because it does not have roots flaring out from the base 360 degrees around the tree. The tree looks rather 2-dimensional in the photo (tough to take pictures late in the afternoon on a stormy day) but it does have a good degree of depth to it, as well as excellent bark texture. So the question becomes: can this happen in nature? Do the direction of the roots in-fact influence the top growth of the tree? (more…)

Although the name is similar, this is not controversial like the Secret Life of Plants.  In fact, this video series that the citizens of Britain enjoy goes a long way in demonstrating many of the attributes of plants that make for good bonsai.  The videos do not give examples of the trees/shrubs/vines/etc. that we work with as bonsai artists, but rather open the doors of the imagination.  So, I hope you can form your own conclusions, do research (or just ask the questions in the comments, we’ll do our best to answer them) as to WHY certain plants make good bonsai.  What environmental adaptations caused the attributes of your bonsai?  How are those adaptations translated into the care of a plant?  How can those adaptations be used to style a convincing tree?  The more we learn about the plants we work with, the higher the quality our art can become, and we probably won’t see plants the same way again!

Without further ado, the episodes: (more…)

This is an older movie (there’s also a book with the same content by the same name).  Lots of things are suggested and there are many arguments over it; we’ll leave it up to you to form your own conclusions, but it’s a fun movie regardless.  (more…)

Plants are still largely a mystery in this world.  Scientists are still uncovering their capabilities.  The BBC has featured some of these capabilities that suggest plants have the ability to sense their surroundings and to send messages to one another. (more…)

Hinoki Cypress are native to Japan where it is grown and used for timber, lemon-scented and highly rot-resistant.  The tree naturally grows very slowly and forms forests, much like the eastern-red-cedar of New Jersey.  Hinoki Cypress are commonly used as an ornamental landscape shrub, known for its plumes of cloud-like foliage.  Unfortunately, it’s also a favorite to the deer!

Pictures from the event can be seen below. (more…)

For those who are not familiar with the species, Serissa is native to open sub-tropical woodlands and wet meadows in southeast Asia, from India, and China to Japan, making it a perfect candidate to be grown indoors as a tropical bonsai.  It has very small leaves and a rough texture to the bark (reminiscent of an old oak tree in nature) making it perfect for bonsai culture.  Its flowers are small (in scale with the rest of the tree) and can be white, pink, and/or double blossoms depending on the variety.  Its leaves can be solid green or variegated depending on the variety as well.  It can be fussy on its conditions and will let you know by dropping leaves, but will spring back readily when you improve the conditions.  It should be kept in bright indirect light and consistently moist.

Here are pictures from the “Making a Tropical Bonsai” class.  Thanks to the ladies who attended, we had a wonderful time.  The pre-bonsai stock was really exceptional for this one, with good-sized trunks and natural branching. (more…)