My recent trip to Portland included a stop at Ryan Neil’s garden. I’d last visited a year ago (see “Pines” and “Junipers” for details). This year I was struck by how different the trees looked before I’d finished making my way through the gate. In a word, they were full – really full. Twelve months ago, many of the bonsai in the garden were being prepped for the Artisan’s Cup. This year the trees were getting a well deserved break to restore their vigor.
Seeing how fast everything was developing, I felt compelled to look closely – as if I’d miss out on the progress before my next visit. Such progress is encouraging and a is testament to the fantastic job Mirai is doing.
One fun indicator of bonsai quality is when trees look good from different angles. Take the super Rocky Mountain juniper below – one of my favorites – as an example.
Rocky Mountain juniper
That’s the back of the tree. It looks great, but the other side offers more drama and better deadwood.
Rock Mountain juniper – front
The pot, for those looking, is a Ron Lang special.
Pot by Ron Lang
Here’s another great Rocky Mountain juniper.
Rocky Mountain juniper
This tree too is seen from the back. Yes, it’s interesting, but do give the other side a chance.
Rocky Mountain juniper with spectacular deadwood
It’s perfectly acceptable when trees look better from some angles than others.
Rocky Mountain juniper
Rocky Mountain juniper
Rocky Mountain juniper
One of the more fun compositions in the garden was a group of spruce planted on a piece of deadwood.
Spruce planting
And here are a few of my favorite pines in the garden.
Limber pine
Lodge pole pine
Limber pine
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