Well all the planning, e-mails, phone calls and worrying are over and the trees are on displayed at the 18th annual International Flower and Garden Festival at Epcot (located at Walt Disney World Orlando Florida). This the the 10th year I have been involved with the committee and 4th year as chairman. To say I love doing this is an understantment. It is so much work but so worth it.
This year’s display has got to be one of my all time favorite displays. Amazing trees and wonderful exhibitors. I put together a little video and added som photos to see near the end of this post. Enjoy (and don’t forget to subscribe to my channel)
One of the most sought after attributes of a tree is the surface roots (aka Nebari). They take a very long time to develop and the help define the front of your tree. They are what shows the stability and strength of the tree. I travelled to Big Tree Park in Longwood Florida to see the world’s 5th oldest tree, the Senator. It is estimated to be over 3500 years old. I also did a short video on devoping and the importance of Nebari.
The Senator -Worlds 5th oldest tree, 3500 year old Bald Cypress
So today I was lucky enough to be invited to collect some pines at Erik Wigert’s Bonsai Nursery. I have been wanting to visit his place for the longest time but finally had a chance to make the nearly 3 hour drive to North Fort Myers.
When I arrived I was amazed on how beautifully arranged his nursery was and the quality of his collection and bonsai material was just wonderful.
They have a nice shop with various bonsai pots and tools along a classroom for training
Here are some photos I took of the nursery and my collected pines
The Gateway entrace to Erik’s Bonsai Collection
Racks of Bonsai Pots at Wigert’s Shop
Rick Jeffery helping reduce the Australian Pine’s roots
There are a great deal of people who have an appreciation for Bonsai and would love to own one. However the presumed skills, costs, and lack of knowledge prevents them from pursuing this wonderful art form. In the following video I discuss the most effective ways to start into bonsai and provide great books and websites to start (in fact you’re looking at one right now)
Suggested reading: John Naka’s Bonsai Techniques vol I & II
