@mikelanesshohinstudio

 

Episode #003
EXOTIC WORLD OF BONSAI
RELEASED: OCTOBER 21st

“Bonsai is unique in that it is a partnership with both the plant and the person, the art cannot thrive without one another.”
— Mike Lane
 
 
 

🌿SHOW NOTES🌿

In this Episode of Among the Jungle Podcast we follow bonsai artist & instructor Mike Lane down the old winding road of bonsai to fully explore it both as an art and a discipline. We break down bonsai to its most basic aspects, clarify myths, talk Japanese jargon and dive into the deeper messages of zen that bonsai, and the majestic nature it's inspired by, has to offer us. If you're ready, its time to inspire your wild!

Today we will learn:

  1. The art & discipline of bonsai

  2. Common misconceptions associated to bonsai

  3. Lessons we can all learn from the trees

  4. How you can start your very own bonsai today

GUEST

“I began Bonsai in 2008 after receiving a small juniper as a gift and finding myself fascinated with it. The tree, as most first bonsai do, died and I was left wondering why?

I wanted to try again but on something a bit more substantial. I researched bonsai in my area and was pleased to learn that Wigert’s Bonsai Nursery was conveniently located within a 20 minute drive. I met Erik Wigert, and expressed both my admiration and desire to learn this Art from him. Originally I was told that there was no position at the nursery. I decided to essentially show my persistence by taking every class the nursery offered and spending all of my weekends there. One day, during class, Erik approached me and told me to report for duty the following Saturday. That was the beginning…”
— Mike Lane

TAKE ACTION

  1. SUBSCRIBE to Among the Jungle Podcast

  2. FOLLOW @mikelanesshohinstudio & @amongthejunglepodcast

  3. *CHALLENGE* What are you plants trying to convey to you?
    Using the techniques and questions mentioned in this episode, communicate energetically with your plants this week, then share with me on INSTA what you have discovered!!

GALLERY

EPISODE FEATURED TREES

Sea Hibiscus
(Tree with a Story)

European Olive
(Most valuable Tree)

KOYO POT
(Most Valuable Bonsai Pot)

HELPFUL VIDEOS

RESOURCES

🌿BONSAI References:

🌿BOTANICAL JARGON:

  • Cutin- waxy, water-repellent substance occurring in the cuticle of plants and consisting of highly polymerized esters of fatty acids.

  • Air Layering- A method of propagating new trees and shrubs from stems still attached to the parent plant. The stem is wrapped with damp moss to encourage roots to form.

  • Trunk Chop- Essentially chopping the trunk off your tree and growing a new top with taper.

  • Defoliation (in bonsai)- Method of removing leaves to reduce the size of new leaves.

🌿PLANTS MENTIONED:

🌿Japanese & Chinese translations:

  • Budo- Literally translates to the “Martial Way”.

  • Zen Buddhism- Japanese school of Mahayana Buddhism emphasizing the value of meditation & intuition.

  • Shintoism- Shinto is a polytheistic belief system involving the veneration of many deities, known as kami.

  • Tokonoma- (床の間 toko-no-ma), or simply toko (床), is a recessed space in a Japanese-style reception room, in which items for artistic appreciation are displayed.

  • Suiseki- Japanese art of stone appreciation, which values aspects like stability, longevity and immortality.

  • Ikebana- (生け花, 活け花, "arranging flowers" or "making flowers alive") is the Japanese art of flower arrangement. It is also known as Kadō (華道, "way of flowers").

  • Sumi-e- Japanese word for Black Ink Painting. Painting style using brush and ink on paper.

  • Yamadori or “Collected Bonsai”- Literally translates to “Collecting Plants in the Mountains”.

  • Nakawatari- Pots exported from China to Japan between 1816 and 1911 (especially in the late 1800s) were called Nakawatari or "middle-crossing".

Mahalo for listening and I hope this episode “INSPIRED YOUR WILD”!
lookING forward to where the journey takes us next!

Aloha, Shii

Among the Jungle Podcast