by Lucy | May 22, 2018 | General |
Chamaecyparis pisifera “Boulevard” glows blue in the landscape. This Boulevard Cypress has been under refinement for about three years. It was bought by a friend last year, and this week I got to do the final touches on the styling. This tree is about...
by Lucy | May 15, 2018 | General |
Pottery by Sherri Aytche for this “Red Dragon” Maple Bonsai. A fabulous specimen of Acer palmatum “Red Dragon” came my way a year or so ago, and it now has a container worthy of its delicate and exquisite coloring and profile. A recent creation...
by Lucy | May 15, 2018 | General |
Explore dimension and texture in ceramic vessels for bonsai. This summer will feature a guest artist at Bonsai Akira’s next Open Studio. Portland ceramic artist Sherri Aytche has been making pottery for home and garden for several years. New explorations include...
by Lucy | May 11, 2018 | General |
Syringa palibin achieves perfection. This little tree has been waiting for its chance– this is the “year of the lilac” in my book! never have they been so lovely! and my little bonsai specimens have thrived in a cool spring, producing fragrant blooms...
by Lucy | May 5, 2018 | General |
Native conifer tells its story in movement and contour. This California Juniper has been waiting for its first styling since being placed in a container several years ago. Today I was delighted to have it featured at my studio open garden among the dozens of bonsai of...
by Lucy | Mar 8, 2018 | General |
Bonsai and Pottery in a garden setting! On Saturday and Sunday, May 5th and 6th, I will be featuring bonsai and locally made pottery containers by Portland ceramic artist Sherri Aytche at my garden studio setting. We will be a featured open garden on the Hardy Plant...
by Lucy | Mar 7, 2018 | General |
The joy of container gardening. My first garden design client had a hillside landscape in almost complete shade that had been planted with ivy…! After several months of ripping out roots up to two inches thick, she commissioned me to install a container garden...
by Lucy | Jan 19, 2018 | General |
Aesthetic pruning for specimen trees. I have begun to offer pruning services for select Japanese Maples for Portland area clients. These trees can be tricky to shape and thin to give the wonderful lacy appearance so desired, with layering to accentuate the...
by Lucy | Jan 9, 2018 | General |
Finding the “Tree within the Tree.” Here is an updated photo of the weeping spruce formerly pictured. Now in a classic Chinese Drum pot, this tree has matured into a quite majestic specimen, deserving of its formal round container. Approximately twenty...
by Lucy | Jan 9, 2018 | General |
Softest and most delicate of the pine bonsai specimens. Japanese Five Needle Pine is a classic for bonsai, with soft short needles and a wonderful lanky growth habit. The needles are well placed in clusters, giving fullness to the branches and vivid green color...
by Lucy | Nov 27, 2017 | General |
Best of the native shrubs for longlasting spring color. Ceanothus, or California lilac, is not actually a lilac at all. The flowers slightly resemble our perennial favorite spring bloomer, but this native of the woods of northern California and southern Oregon has its...
by Lucy | Nov 24, 2017 | General |
Littlest bonsai gives big impression in new pottery. My Privet bonsai– Ligustrum ovalifolium– native to Korea and Japan– has beautiful fall color, changing from mostly golden-green to crimson over the season, depending on the weather. It is deciduous...
by Lucy | Oct 26, 2017 | General |
Bonsai from the Northwest going to St Louis! Bonsai Akira Nursery has been accepted as a vendor for the American Bonsai Society 2018 convention in St Louis, Missouri. A chance to show what grows in our Northwest gardens, in miniature form! Presenters include Marc...
by Lucy | Oct 23, 2017 | General |
European Beech looks grand in all seasons. This small specimen of Fagus sylvatica, or European Beech, was grown as pre-bonsai on a tile field, giving a wide and shallow rootball ideal for a small container. Wonderful layered branching habit accents the wide horzontal...
by Lucy | Oct 23, 2017 | General |
Loveliest of deciduous trees of the Northwest My Oregon Ash has come to the golden time of year. Brief but magnificent– it will leave its foliage in the coming days– but for now I will revel in the Elm-colored fronds which encircle the canopy of this...
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