• Wednesday, April 14th, 2010
I can’t tell you how many times people have told me that they purchased a tree, or collected one only to find that when they clear away some of the top soil that the tree continued to widen out. This not only will add height to the tree when planted at the proper soil level, but will add a stronger look for the tree as the nebari width increases.
A few years ago when I potted up my bouganvillea I had to plant it rather low because I had changed the angle of the tree dramatically. It showed no surface roots and had no flair. However this week I decided to repot the tree into a smaller pot to bring attention to the massive trunk. However when I cleared away the soil the trunk had some great surpises to show me.
The trunk had great flair and roots had developed. In addition I was now able to pot the tree up about 3″ higher.
You can see the old soil line and how much more strength the repot gave the tree.
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• Sunday, April 19th, 2009
I hope that you all remember the post I did a year or two ago about the person that gave me this Bouganvillea (as pre-bonsai) named Bob. I had a computer crash and lost all of the information I had about his full name, phone number and address. Well as luck would have it, Bob contacted me again and I now have all his information in a safe place. I can’t thank him enough for this tree, and that a part of his efforts are on display at Disney as well.
He called me from the Japanese Pavillion in Epcot and said, “I can’t say it enough…..simply stunning….The only words I can use to describe the Bougainvillea at Epcot… when I gave you that stump 2 years ago I knew that you had the patience and the knowledge to turn that stump into a piece of art second to none…”
Bob with the Bouganvillea at Epcot
I am glad that he could share in this exhibit and see how many people appreciate seeing these trees on display. Thanks again Bob!
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• Saturday, April 04th, 2009
I always like to share information to help other people display their trees. Although a lot of work goes into styling and caring for the tree, it is the finishing touches that really make your tree stand out in a display. Some easy touches are adding a fresh top layer of soil mix, and cleaning the bonsai pot.
Surface soil prior to show
As you can see the condition of both the soil and the pot were in pretty bad shape.
New Soil applied and the rimmed oiled
Here is the tree with just a quarter inch of new soil added and fresh moss. In order to bring out the great color of the pot I apply a thin layer of walnut oil. It has a nice satin finish compared to other oils.
The pot before oil applied
As you can see there is no depth to the pot and the color is a bit washed out.
Ready for show
What a difference! Just look how much better the color is. Even though the pot has a shine to it now, the oil will soak in and take the strong oil look away. With just a few minutes of effort the tree went from plain and ordinary to a real treasure.
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• Thursday, March 19th, 2009
Well the trees are now on display at Epcot for the next 10 weeks. The show set up went very well and we had a blast doing it. There are plenty of pictures, but I wanted to post one of my all time favorties taken of my tree by Greg Matthews.
Paul Pikel Bouganvillea at Epcot 2009
If you get the chance be sure to see the display. You won’t be disappointed!!
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