Welcome to the world of creating Bonsai Ents that Simon Temblett introduced to club members at our recent club night where Simon showed us that there can be so much more to bonsai than just a tree in a pot, how about your very own Ent.
Sculpture and bonsai tend to go hand in hand and it is an opportunity to create something that is unique and unusual whilst still maintaining a living bonsai tree and Simon has been perfecting techniques like this over 30 years developing his experience, he is now sharing it with us.
One of Simon Tembletts more well known creations is his Boulevard Juniper (Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘boulevard’) but sadly of late this tree has been suffering from what Simon believes is natural dieback as opposed to a pest or disease problem. He puts the dieback down to mild moisture stress due to continued growth restricted to a shallow pot with unstable pot temperatures affecting the roots. That root dysfunction thus explains the canopy / foliage die back and even though this is very natural in a tree in the wild it is a significant issue on a bonsai tree.
Tattooed Beech
Who would have thought to tattoo a tree, well Simon Temblett did just that with his creative flare and design to challenge the artistry of bonsai and sculpture which is an inspiration to us all.
This wasn’t a place we first expected to see bonsai, staying in the Fujiya Hotel for a couple of days enjoying the ornamental gardens from our room we decided to go for a closer look. Whilst exploring the beautifully maintained gardens we stumbled upon a good sized collection of bonsai trees seemingly maintained by the hotel almost tucked away out sight. Located south from Tokyo, the hotel is one of the oldest in Japan, and has had many famous guests and includes some very luxurious hot spring baths. Even though our trip wasn’t solely focused on
Simon Temblett
Simon Temblett brought a series of his own bonsai trees in for our monthly club night and talked through his approach creating some fascinating works of art and stunning bonsai. He has over the years created very classical bonsai for which he is well known for, these he has created from raw material or garden centre stock and he is proud to have grown his trees with this process rather than buy a ready made bonsai.
One of the things I remember fondly about our trip to Japan, wasn’t just the big impressive show-worthy bonsai but the domestic bonsai that could be found in any random location by the road or outside the ticket office at a bus station. I was going to describe this as ‘achievable’ bonsai, but in nothing more than admiration;
Started germinating in April 2014 after planting in March 2014.
1st place, PB Siberian Elm
2nd place, AW Shishigashira Maple
3rd place, SM Chinese Elm
Jade group first put together in February 2013
Succulents make great bonsai, and one of the most common is the Jade plant or Crassula. There are many different types of Crassula, some with large thick succulent leaves whilst others have tiny leaves. They have flowers but some flower more readily than others in my experience.
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