FB Live is making me soft or these photo essays are just more difficult to put together. This post we have Pedro Morales from Puerto Rico. We got Pedro as a world class demonstrator through the California Bonsai Society Visiting Artist Program. Pedro is known as the Tropical King and living on a paradise island. This time we gave Pedro a curve ball. I seen Pedro at several live demonstrations and every one I been too they gave him tropicals to work on. Well, not for Baikoen!

Better late than never! Trying to keep up with all my other duties and finally getting around for several updates at the same time. So try to keep up! July Club Meeting was at Peter's House. Its always special when you travel away from the normal scene and explore what is around you. Peter's house is nothing more than a bonsai Disneyland! If you have never been there go ask Peter for a visit, is all I can say. I wont make a step by step instruction on what Peter did that nigh

Frank Yee is probably known as the Gate Keeper of Cork Bark Jade. Jade succulents or Elephant Food succulent or Portulacaria afra ‘Cork Bark’. Portulacaria afra "Cork Bark" has all the qualities of a good bonsai. Rough bark, good branch structures, good leave structure, able to live in a shallow pot, drought resistant and easy maintenance. A video archive can be located at the Baikoen Bonsai Club Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/baikoenbonsai/videos/1150614191745103/ T

During our January meeting we had our usually new member orientation and hands on workshop. Unfortuntly we did not have any new members that joined in the last 5 months so we just had a club workshop with Sensai Lindsay Shiba being the man mentor of the night. Ron E. got his juniper bonsai all wired and ready for the Spring push. Of course, Greg K. is in the background trying to figure out if he wants to attack that tamarisk we collected from last year. Peter playing with his

The Christmas holiday season always has a special place in my heart. Not only that everybody decorate to make their homes all festive. But, its the time of year where we all get together to reflect on the year we spend as a collective group. As tradition, the Shiba's hosted the event at their residence. Living in Lytle Creek has its perks especially, this time of year. It is a location where the season's change and you are actually in a forest like environment. To add a festi

You know when the clubs gets together for movies its really an excuse to come together to have good time and socialize and eat! That's what really happened at the last club meeting. Good food, good people and of course old school technology. I had to tease Lindsay Shiba about what technology did he bring in suitcase to the LA Arboteum. The machines he brought in was as vintage has they get. A VHS player which was hooked up to a LED projector! For the kids reading this and doe

As the stunt double for Travis Goldstein, Michael Jonas was gracious enough to help fill in Travis's role for the month of May. Michael gave all of us at the meeting first hand knowledge working on Retusa Ficus. Not, a ficus that I'm familiar with so lets go over what we have learned that night. That monster of a ficus next to Michael was the demo tree for the night. The tree is a multipe trunk with 5 very straight trunks connected nicely at the base. While, there was not muc

This month's meeting we did not have a demonstrator per say but we had Lindsay Shiba run a club workshop instead. Its great having different speakers each month, but its also refreshing to be able to work on our trees with the eyes and skills of Lindsay and other members within our club. Lindsay still gave us a short talk about ramifcation of foilage and the importance of fertilizing on a monthly bases. Here is a group shot before everybody got down to business working on the

At our last club meeting Bob Pressler was our demonstrator with reviewing repotting skills. Many out there are already masters or rather skilled in repotting. But, its important to review basic skills once in awhile to make sure you aren't forming bad habits. Bob did a quick review on tie-downs and drainage hole wiring on the first repot, which was going to be the Olive bonsai he got from the Bonsai-A-Thon in late February. Bob uses a no non-sense flat pin type of drainage ho

Sean Smith was our leader our January club meeting. Sean comes from the East Coast and brings a different perspective that what we are used to here in California. Sean has been on a world wind tour of Southern California and we were lucky to pick him up; thank you for Fred M. and Doyle S. for bring his personal tour guide and Uber driver while he was in Southern California. Sean started with a short video of him doing what he does best, wood carving. Sean is a renown daiza an

January 19, 2017 Location: Los Angeles Arboretum (Bamboo Room) Time: 7:00pm to 9:00pm Refreshments: Martha Smith, Debbie Shiba, Sherry Quan and Gus Duran We moved our meeting date up to the 3rd Thursday of the Month. Sean Smith from Pennsylvania and is a Master Woodworker and Bonsai Artist. He will be coming into town for a whirlwind tour and we got lucky enough to pick him up. It will be a workshop so please bring a tree and tools for Sean to suggest ideas and help work on.

If you missed it! You missed it! Tons of food and people this past Sunday. It was a blast that you missed. Of course it was located at the Shiba residence. Not just one Christmas tree but two! A small gathering of folks in the front. Jim and Elaine scouting for the best scoops before anybody else hits the line! The meeting of the minds while hunting desert. Of course Debbie, Cary and Mindy had to pose for the camera. Then these two knuckleheads join in the fun! (Steven and Bi

At our last club meeting Steve Valentine was our guest presenter. He drove all the way up from Vista to give us a pretty special presentation about this massive Brazilian Pepper tree. To most people a pepper tree would not add up to much, but the detailing on this tree is pretty amazing because of its unique characteristics. Yes, this is the same tree Steve showed at the 2015 GSBF Convention in Riverside. A bit overgrown but the bones are still there. The reason Steve brought

Just a reminder that this month's meeting has been moved up one week because of Thanksgiving and the meeting will occur this Thursday. Our guest is no other than Steve Valentine. After talking to Steve, he will be remodeling a large Brazilian Pepper Tree and a ficus makeover. I hope to see you all there! November 17, 2016 Location: Los Angeles Arboretum (Oak Room) Time: 7:00pm to 9:00pm Refreshments: Nick Kapp, Big Joe, Alex Hall and Gus Duran #clubmeeting #SteveValentine #Br

We had Roy Nagatoshi owner of Fuji Bonsai Nursery in Sylmar be our guest demonstrator of the month of October. Roy showed us how to get from raw collected tree to possible show tree by grafting. We had a small group this month due to the overlapping GSBF Convention going on in Sacramento the same Thursday. We still had a good turn out of people even with the convention running at the same time. Roy started the club meeting with some bad news. He does like to drive in the rain

We are hosting a special meeting in August. We usually go dark for the month but, the club decided to put on a special one for all of us. We are not going to have our usual meeting but, a night of food and Bonsai Bingo! It will be a potluck dinner, the club will provide the main dish: Grilled Chicken and Ribs! If you are going to attend please provide a side dish and or dessert. Please call/text Lindsay @ (909)806-0937 to let him know what you will bring to Bingo Night! Also,

Date: May 26, 2016 Location: Los Angeles Arborteum (Oak Room) Time: 7:00pm to 9:00pm Refreshments: Lindsay Shiba, Big Joe, YS Farn, and Tom Lau Frank Goya has been a bonsai and saikei artist for over 50 years. He is considered to be the number one practioner of saikei.Studying under John Naka, and based on his experience in garden design. He soon found an affinity for saikei. Along with Shig Miya and Ben Oki, Frank still finds the time to teach at the Marina Bonsai Club at th

We have the honor of having a relative new bonsai artist at our last bonsai club meeting. Tom is no stranger to the Southern California bonsai culture. I have seen Tom's tree at many different display around for several years. But, Tom is relative new on the demonstration circuit. Tom brought in a Prostrata Juniper for his demonstration of the night. He had this tree for roughly 5-8 years and had been growing it since it was a 1 gallon sapling. He has already been training th

Date: April 28, 2016 Location: Los Angeles Arborteum (Oak Room) Time: 7:00pm to 9:00pm Refreshments: Gustavo Duran, Marge Blasingame, Big Joe, and Elaine Jeche Tom Vuong from Orange County will be our star demonstator for the evening. Tom is an avid California Juniper collector and really specilizes in extremely large bonsai specimens! The last I spoke to Tom, he will be working on a juniper species. I hope to see you all at the meeting! Bring a raffle to support the club. #c

Date: March 24, 2016 Location: Los Angeles Arborteum (Oak Room) Time: 7:00pm to 9:00pm Refreshments: Joe Gutierrez, Shirley Quan, Octavio Chin, and Elanie Jeche Michael Sykes from San Diego Bonsai Club will be out guest demostrator of the night. Michael is known for his mastery with working with Foemina Junipers. I believe he will being conducting a demostration on that same species tonight. Something that should not be missed. I hope to see you at the meeting! Bring a raffle