Bonsai Time Podcast

Kevin, Ryan, and Kelly sat down to look forward to another new year of doing bonsai and podcasting. We discussed potential new resolutions and directions for our bonsai lives and the podcast although not our plans all can be made public yet. Kevin also posited some potential trends from other forms of art that he hopes may one day be adopted in bonsai. Enjoy the episode and let us know, what is yo...

Ryan, Kelly, and Kevin sat down to reflect on our past year in bonsai. What goals have we set out in our bonsai lives and where do we stand on meeting them? We also unpacked other milestones from our last year in bonsai such as taking and leading new workshops, caring for public collection bonsai, attending bonsai shows, and new trees and folks we’ve enjoyed meeting along the way! The video versio...

In this episode, Ryan sat down with Ellen Veselenak and Mellissa Marguerite of the Green Witch Gardens (formerly known as The Flower Market) in Monroe, Michigan. In the interview, the gang discussed Melissa's and Ellen's personal history with plants, how they came to purchase The Flower Market, their approach to caring for Michigan's largest bonsai nursery, and their long-term goals fo...

In this minisode, international bonsai deadwood carver extraordinaire Will Baddeley, bonsai nursery owner Rob Hoffman, and your host Ryan discussed the merits and situations to use various bonsai deadwood carving techniques. They also share other tips to help you create convincing deadwood that adds to the sense of age and ruggedness of your bonsai. The video version is ⁠ here . Show notes, releva...

Darren Bloomfield is a British bonsai artist who moved to Japan over a decade ago as an English teacher. In this interview, he and Kevin share practical tips for foreigners who travel to Japan or even for others who might want to move to Japan as well as insights into the Japanese hobbyist bonsai community and how it compares to the hobbyist community in the west. The video version is here . Show...

After spending 6 years as a full-time bonsai apprentice in Japan, Bjorn Bjorholm moved back to his home state of Tennessee, USA, to create his own bonsai nursery known as Eisei-en. Now, years after success in this endeavor, Bjorn has just relocated his family and his nursery to Kyoto, Japan! Find out what's in store for those who visit his new nursery and for those who utilize his bonsai learn...

For this next 3-part series, Kevin and Ryan interviewed Josh Hooson of Bonsai-en Nursery in Australia. In this second episode, Kevin, Ryan, and Josh share from their experience how bonsai has positively impacted their lives and hypothesize on other ways we may not always think about in which this artform creates benefits for the practitioners and those around us. Also, check last week's miniso...

For this next 3-part series, Kevin and Ryan interviewed Josh Hooson of Bonsai-en Nursery in Australia. In this first minisode, Josh shares his background both in bonsai as an entrepreneur and advice from his experience in starting a bonsai business. Check back next week for the deeper discussions we had with him as well in regarding the benefits of bonsai and the bonsai mindset. The video version...

For this next 2-part series, Kevin and Kelly interviewed Bob Pressler regarding a bonsai scholarship that he helps organize. They talked about why you should apply and how you can boost your odds of success! The Ben Oki Scholarship Fund is awarded by the California Bonsai Society to two recipients a year. Each recipient is granted $1000 to use to further their bonsai education to give back to the...

For this next 2-part series, Kevin and Kelly interviewed Bob Pressler regarding a bonsai scholarship that he helps organize. They talked about why you should apply and how you can boost your odds of success! The Ben Oki Scholarship Fund is awarded by the California Bonsai Society to two recipients a year. Each recipient is granted $1000 to use to further their bonsai education to give back to the...

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 in this wide-ranging interview to distill his scientific findings from climate modeling, how it may impact us as humans, bonsai artists, and our trees, and how he approaches sharing information on the subject with the public. In part 2, we als...

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 in this wide-ranging interview to distill his scientific findings from climate modeling, how it may impact us as humans, bonsai artists, and our trees, and how he approaches sharing information on the subject with the public. In part 2 coming...

In today's episode, Kevin interviewed Rodney and Charlie Clemons at their bonsai nursery in Georgia. Rodney is well known online as a specialist in Boxwoods, but less well known is the story of his wife Charlie who is an accomplished bonsai artist in her own right. Here they share their intertwined story. The video version is available here . Show notes, relevant pictures, and links are availa...

In today's episode, Kevin, Kelly, and Ryan met up to share recent listener questions and submitted tree pictures. There was vigorous discussion online about Benjamin Keating's work potting bonsai into metal sculptures which we talked with Ben about in the last episode. Many listeners wondered about the viability of these trees long-term, so we posed the question to Ben and relayed his resp...

In today's episode, Kevin and Benjamin Keating discuss his history in art and how he got into bonsai, challenges associated with displaying bonsai in art galleries for long periods, Ben's bonsai + metal marriage projects in progress, and what to look forward to from Ben's art! The video version is available here (follow along to see Ben's trees in development during the garden tour...

Our first episode of 2024 is a collaboration with Tori Solis of Blue Nose Trading. In the first half of our two-part interview, we interviewed Tori to understand her artistic perspective in ceramics and discuss the motivations for her new podcast. That is available as episode 1 of "The Bonsai Pot Cast". Next in this episode, Tori interviewed us about our involvement in bonsai clubs, tips...

In this episode of the Bonsai Time Podcast, your hosts Ryan, Kelly, and Kevin continue the New Year episode tradition of reflecting on how we have been doing on the podcast and in our bonsai lives last year and what we resolve to continue or improve for 2024. The future is bright! We hope you will continue enjoying the Bonsai Time ride with us. Have a happy holidays to you and your family! The vid...

In this episode of the Bonsai Time Podcast, we have part 2 of a winter solstice/Christmas special featuring Ryan, Kelly, Kevin, and Julian Tsai. In Part 2, we discussed the history of the winter solstice and Christmas celebrations in Europe, Egypt, and America especially as it pertains to symbolic tree species associated with this time of year. We then go on to discuss and compare the merits of th...

In this episode of the Bonsai Time Podcast, we have part 1 of a winter solstice/Christmas special featuring Ryan, Kelly, Kevin, and Julian Tsai. In Part 1, we catch up with Julian regarding how he transitioned into being a full-time bonsai professional and we dive into the subject of what can we do as bonsai artists in winter and what might be risky to do in colder climates at this time of year. S...

In this episode of the Bonsai Time Podcast, Kevin and Ryan welcome a new co-host to the podcast, Kelly Lui of California. Kelly is an enthusiastic newcomer in the bonsai scene who has already made a splash by winning the Ben Oki Scholarship in 2023 from the California Bonsai Society. Hear the story of how she got roped into our podcast and how we hope to help one another amplify her work sharing t...

In this episode of the Bonsai Time Podcast, Kevin and Ryan welcome Dennis Makashima. Dennis has been a witness and active participant in bonsai history as he learned from many of the greats of California Bonsai and even inherited many of their trees. Although Dennis is a second-generation Japanese American, he found himself drawn into the same line of work as many Japanese were at that time - gard...

In this episode of the Bonsai Time Podcast, Kevin and Ryan welcome Dennis Makashima. Dennis has been a witness and active participant in bonsai history as he learned from many of the greats of California Bonsai and even inherited many of their trees. Although Dennis is a second-generation Japanese American, he found himself drawn into the same line of work as many Japanese were at that time - gard...

In the latest episode of the Bonsai Time Podcast, Kevin and Ryan welcome Dennis Makashima. Dennis has been a witness and active participant in bonsai history as he learned from many of the greats of California Bonsai and even inherited many of their trees. Although Dennis is a second-generation Japanese American, he found himself drawn into the same line of work as many Japanese were at that time...

Today's episode is the final installment in our multi-part interview with Angelica Ramirez, the current US National Bonsai Apprentice. We discussed listener questions and submitted trees and shared our various thoughts, especially on styling options and nuances of particular species. You can submit your own listener trees and/or questions for a future episode on our website, www.bonsaitimepodc...

Angelica Ramirez is a bright new face in the bonsai scene. As Kevin and I learned in our interview, Angelica is a uniquely driven person with expertise in music, helicopter piloting, archery, painting, bonsai ceramics, and more recently she is set on learning bonsai to the highest degree possible. Angelica has been an apprentice at the Chicago Botanic Garden's bonsai collection and this year s...