Cheers,
Hans van Meer.
Info: karamottobonsai@hotmail.com
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HIHI HI!
PICTURE OF A BRIGHTLY GREAN “LARCH” BONSAI.
Hi, everybody,
Today I shot some pictures of one of my “Larch” trees. This is one of my first yamadori trees I ever designed and I am really fond of it. About 3 seasons ago, I almost lost this fragile tree. Some of its major branches were lost during a very hot Summer in a small pot! I kept those dead branches on, because, for now, they are a part of this Bonsai history! After that season, I planted the weakened Bonsai into these beautiful, but too big, Brian Allbright pot, so it could recover from its ordeal. With a lot of love and care, I managed to nurture it into the bright green health, it shows in this next picture. Even though it is only a small tree, this Bonsai shows great character and age after all these years of training it in a pot. I love the sense of almost disbalance in this tree and the feeling of depth the back branches evoke. I hope to plant it in a better pot next year. I’m so happy that this little Bonsai is healthy again! I hope you enjoy it’s colour as much as I do?! Pot by Brian Albright (UK).
Cheers,
Hans van Meer.
Info: karamottobonsai@hotmail.com
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A FUN DAY IN MY GARDEN WITH MY FRIEND JEROEN AND HIS TREES!
Hi, everybody,
  
I took advantage of the situation and asked Jeroen to help me repot my big and heavy Chamaecyparis obtusa! This pot has been it’s home for 5 years now and it is time to refresh soil and reduce the root ball.
It was a fun day indeed!
Cheers,
Hans van Meer.
Info: karamottobonsai@hotmail.com
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TODAY I FINALY DARED TO REPOT MY PRECIUS JUNIPERUS COMMUNIS.
Hi, everybody,
today I finally dared to repot one of my favourite trees. It is a Juniperus communis I collected in the Austrian Alps in. This tree has such great potential, but I decided to wait to work on it until I was fully convinced there would be enough new roots to support the tree safely through the stress of repotting it! This species is hard to keep alive after collecting and I was so glad that it had recovered so well after I brought it down from its mountain to my garden. In 1995, after I was convinced the tree was doing fine, I brought it along to the U.K to give it it’s first styling session during my demo’s at the “JOY OF BONSAI” show in “Bath”. After that, I allowed the tree again to recover from it all!
Picture 1: So today, finally it is time to have a look at the condition of the roots! Because I still can’t lift anything by my self, I had to work on the floor where the tree was standing.
Picture2: First I carefully removed the soil around the outside of the plastic container, slowly working my way inwards and downward, until I uncovered some healthy roots. Just like how I prefer to collect a yamadori in nature. In this way, the root ball would stay more or less intact and I would be able to lift the much lighter tree from the ground into it, for now,  new container.
Picture3: The long roots that I left on when I collected it, were rotted away at the ends, so I could remove them now, without harming the health of the tree. There were new roots growing closer to the base of the tree now, so I would be able to plant the tree into a smaller pot!
 
Picture 4 and 5: Here you can see the tree in his new home. It is a too large pot, but for now, it will just be fine, I need the tree to recover first!
   
Picture 6: Because the tree was doing fine in its previous soil mixture, the new pot is filed up with the same soil it was growing in before!
Picture 7 and 8: The tree in its new home. This is the first tree I have, that really has 2 good fronts! 🙂
  
More to come!
Hans van Meer.
Info: karamottobonsai@hotmail.com
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A PICTURE OF MY SMALL BLACKTHORN IN FULL BLOOM.
Hi, everybody,
here is a picture of a small Blackthorn from my collection. It is a Yamadori from the U.K that was given to me, a few years ago, by my dear friend Terry Foster. The upper half of this trunk is fully twisted around with a Shari running along it. And there is some Jin hidden amongst all those sweat smelling flowers! Next year I will find a more suitable pot for it!
Hope you like it?
Cheers,
Hans van Meer.
Info: karamottobonsai@hotmail.com
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A PICTURE OF “XL”.
Hi, everybody,
today was a lovely Sunny day, so I decided to make a  picture of the “XL”, so I could show you how it looks at this moment with its bright green coloured new foliage. It needs a lot more branch ramification, but the basic shape is there already.
I hope you like the progress of this tree?
Cheers,
Hans van Meer.
                  Info: karamottobonsai@hotmail.com
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MY WORKSHOP AT “ISS HOGAI” IN SUNNY EMMEN (HOLLAND)!
Hi, everybody,
I met Henk Steneker, the organizer of this workshop, during the Masterclass I did last year. There he asked if I would like to give a workshop in the following year at his relative new Bonsai shop “Iss Hogai” that is based in his new house in Emmen (Holland). Well, of course, I said yes and last weekend it was time for me to make the 2 and a half hour long trip to the North East of Holland. I made it in one go and arrived right in time for a warm welcome by Henk and a cup of coffee with cake! He showed me around his large garden that is being converted to a Bonsai garden with benches for his and his club members Bonsai and a large area to work. There is a nice indoor section in his garden to work when it is cold and raining or as in this case, rather hot! His club consists of a small but very enthusiastic group of Bonsai junkies, that had a great time during this sunny day! It is good to know, that there are so many people in Holland that are willing to make that extra effort to progress in their hobby! Because I know that improvement through working on Bonsai, will make this magnificent hobby, even more, enjoyable for them!
Below: First we started with discussing the trees that the students had brought along.
Below: One by one the unworked material, pre Bonsai or Bonsai were discussed by me.
Below: Rene pulling my leg when he brought with a straight face a half-dead Ulmus to see how I would react and talked my way out of it without hurting any one’s feelings! 🙂
        Below: Rene’s very promising Yamadori, Mugo Pine.
         Below picture: discussing the trees possibilities.
                           Below picture: WHAT ?!
         Above: Harry Gerdes concentrated at work on his Juniper.
       Monique van Ommen, working indoor were it was much cooler!
Rene Bakker was very eager to start working on his Pine. I cant blame him! 🙂
Above: Henk Steneker, founder of this club and organizer, hard at work on his “Taxus”.
Above: Anneke van Lintum, enjoying Bonsai! A picture that speaks for itself!
Above: Rene, bless his heart, did not hesitate to cut off and bend some major branches, after we discussed where we could go with his magnificent old “Mugo”!
Above: Wet raffia was applied to prevent branches to break when they were severely bent.
             Above picture: Bram de Visser working on his tree.
   Above picture: Bram’s “Chamaecyparis” obtusa before his work started.
                    Above: The cut off branch is Jinned.
Above: The well-protected branch is slowly brought into its desired position.
 Above: Even after all of the students were gone we went on wiring and styling…we both wanted to see this great tree finished! 😉
  Above: Almost everything wired and brought into its desired position.!
- Above: Bending the last branches of the top into place! After a long day of bonsai work, it was nice to finish off with a promising tree like this one! And then it was time for a nice cold beer with my new Bonsai friends from up North! And then it was off for the long trip home…tired but very happy and satisfied!
Hope you enjoy the images as much as I enjoyed this day!
Cheers,
Hans van Meer.
Info: karamottobonsai@hotmail.com
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SOME PICTURES OF MY PINE WORKSHOP AT BONSAI CLUB “RIJMOND”.
Hi, everybody,
here are some pictures that Gino, a club member, shot that Sunday afternoon at my old Bonsai club. Gino kindly allowed me to show them to you, so… thank you, Gino, until the next time.
- There were plenty good Pines to show the different techniques to control their growth.Â
- This is the best way to teach anything, close by and Han(d)s on! 🙂
  
    
    
      
It sure was a fun day and I am sure we will do more in the future! So I hope to see the lovely people of this intimate Bonsai club soon! Until then,
De groeten,
Hans van Meer.
Info: karamottobonsai@hotmail.com
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JUST A PRETTY PICTURE.
Hi, everybody,
today I shoot this picture of one of my alpine plants. Sadly, I don’t know the name of this plant, but it sure is pretty! If anyone can help me name this plant, please do! 🙂
I hope you enjoy this pretty picture as much as I do?!
Regards,
Hans van Meer.
Info: karamottobonsai@hotmail.com
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WASTE NOT, WANT NOT! (PART II)
Hi, everybody,
Today I had a good Bonsai day, In the afternoon I had a Pine workshop at my old Bonsai club “Randstad”. Where I met up with some of my old and new Bonsai students to have a Sunday of great Bonsai fun and camaraderie. But my morning before all this was well spent as well! From an old wooden bar stool, my father had given to me some 30 years ago, I made a hard needed turning table, to hold my “EXTRA LARCH” in higher and therefore more workable position for me! WOW! … long sentence! 🙂 First I sawed off the back support and then, 2 sawed out wooden circles, 5 wheels and 1 long thick bolt and 4 nuts and cheap later..I ended up with a very useful and cheap work table. As you can see in the second picture: Now I am finally able to see the tree from the proper height, and boy, that makes all the difference! Because I could not lift this tree anymore, I had to work on it, while it was standing to low for comfort. My viewpoint was when I was styling it, the last time, from way too low! And now, finally seeing the tree from this proper height, I realise a lot need to be adjusted during the next styling. But, that is for next year! This year I will enjoy this tree as it is! And that is no punishment! 🙂
I was just finished before my student and old Bonsai friend, Michael De Ruiter, came to pick me up and bring me to the workshop. As planned, he kindly helped me to lift the “XL” onto its new home. Next season he will be repotted into a more suitable pot and than he can stand on the benches with his other friends. But now he is simply too heavy! 🙂 This old bar stool from my father sits just fine and I should know! Believe me! 🙂
- Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
-                      Simple, but effective! I hope! 🙂
Regards,
Hans van Meer.
Info: karamottobonsai@hotmail.com
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The Bonsai Blog of Hans van Meer 