Bonsaify | A Springtime Visit to Rakuyō Bonsai with Andrew Robson

Join Eric for a tour of Andrew Robson's "bonsai dream land" - his new garden at Rakuyō Bonsai! Andrew specializes in deciduous bonsai; in Japanese, Rakuyō literally means "falling leaf".

We wanted to provide a bit of context, as Andrew mentions "Telperion" a number of times in the video. Telperion Farms Bonsai was a major supplier of bonsai material in Oregon. The entire property was lost in the devastating fires that burned in September 2020. Fortunately, owners Lisa and Chris Kirk managed to get out with their dogs, but it seemed that most of the bonsai were lost. Andrew has salvaged some Telperion trees (dug up after the first) and you will see them in this video. We believe that it's wonderful for the bonsai community to know that some of the Kirk's legacy lives on at Rakuyō.

00:00:45 So many pots from Nao Tokutake, a bonsai potter based out of Hillsboro, Oregon (https://www.tokutakebonsai.com/). We love Nao's pots too; Eric brought home a few that will surely show up in future videos!

00:02:00 A Telperion Pine which Andrew calls a "cutting".

00:03:28 Another Telperion Farms tree cut out after the fire, with help from Andrew's beautiful dog Bailey.

00:04:11 Discussion about ground growing and grow bags. Andrew offers the tip that the proper way to develop ground grown trees is to dig them out and work on the roots every few years.

00:05:20 Andrew explains how the combination of wiring and cutting creates really nice deciduous bonsai.

00:05:48 A previously show-ready dogwood responded poorly to a heat wave, so Andrew did a major cut back.

00:06:32 Eric shares how he learned bonsai while admiring a gorgeous wisteria display.

00:07:12 The guys discuss a Beech forest composition that Andrew put together 12 years ago while in highschool.

00:08:22 Andrew shares a subtractive process he enjoys with forests he calls "de-composition".

00:09:23 Why Andrew thinks forests are great.

00:10:10 A mixed forest composition that enthusiasts living the the Northeastern U.S. will appreciate; American Beech, Sugar Maple, and American Red Maple.

00:10:45 Crazy bark on a Korean Hornbeam!

00:11:58 "Phoenix" Maple that rose from being half-burned in the 2020 fire at Telperian. (Any Harry Potter fans watching this video?)

00:12:32 Little hummingbird's nest in an Oakleaf Beech bonsai!

We hope you enjoyed this tour of Andrew's garden (https://www.rakuyobonsai.com/). Thank you for watching! We also recommend that you read this article if you're interested in deciduous bonsai trees: https://www.bonsaify.com/blogs/phutu-.... Please like and share this video, and subscribe to our channel for more entertaining, inspirational, and educational bonsai content!