http://bonsaibark.com/2017/05/21/still-searching-for-the-perfect-nebari/#717668
via Still Searching for the Perfect Nebari | Bonsai Bark — Wolf’s Birding and Bonsai Blog
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Number 1 Ready to show
I have finally put all of the pieces together in order to proudly show for your consideration one of my original 8 REDWOOD seedlings. I’ve been working on this tree for 20 years now.
Within a couple of days of buying these seedlings they where all planted into 1 qt. pots to start then shoved into the corner for a couple of years to grow.
This was the only start that was planted ROOT OVER ROCK.. It has always been kept in very small amounts of dirt. The main stem just above the roots is 3″ diameter. It is 2″ thru, from the dirt to the top of the tree and is 15″ from the counter to the top of the tree, 19″ currently.
It currently is secured into a 2 inch deep and 12 inche wide round. This old growth Mahogany bowl was Hand Carved in South East Asia circa 1970’s. The interior of the bowl is treated to withstand water. The exterior of the bowl is finished with tung oil (multiple coats) and appears to weather without much discoloration.
This bowl came out of a log that was at least 30 inches through based on growth rings and the fact we did not see any sign of tree center. it could have been significantly bigger. The young sapwood shows as the lighter color.
The feet are salvaged from the Al’s burn barrel. These are made of South american tiger stripe.
Besides the beauty of the piece we are fortunate to have seeds growing on it.
The seeds started growing a couple of years ago. We’ve had new seeds every year since. I have not yet tried to grow from these seeds but look forward to doing so this spring. This spring we will also cut some of the new buds for propagation.
As the lower photos show the top needs some major trimming. Tree is still in training!
**This tree is an outdoor tree except at display times . When inside it requires misting, and constant water monitoring.
In Metro Portland we have the best success growing Coastal Redwoods in shaded North and East facings.
MORE PHOTOS AS SOON AS the WEATHER SMARTENS UP
REDWOOD BONSAI, BONSAI, WESTERN BIG LEAF MAPLE, LILAC, BURL, BONSAI POTS, BONSAI AND BURL, DISPLAY STANDS, BURLWOOD, MYRTLEWOOD,
LILACS
These are not a tree one normally associates with bonsai. But to me they are one of the most important trees I work with.
We keep a variety of sizes in various parts of the BONSAI area.
Not only do they add variety to the garden, they also offer color. We have had 2-3 plants flower in the last couple of years.
But the main reason I grow them is for water indicators. If any of these guys start to wilt from dryness it tells me the entire garden needs a drink. 
The lilac shown in the blue pots is in the 8-9 year old.
3 Big Ones- Coastal Redwoods
When I first started working with trees my initial thought was we would take Costal Redwood starts and grow the trees as small as possible. Tree 3 shows this, this tree is 18 years old and has always been grown in very little soil. The pot is 15 years old, made in Japan.
Dimensions Pot 3.5 / 9 /12
from soil to top about 24 inches
This tree is the first Redwood I have grown that has developed seed cones 2 years ago. I harvested a couple of seeds but left most on the tree.
While I haven’t tried to start from seed yet I’m looking forward to that.
The top needs work for sure, I just haven’t decided what is next. Probably top it then lightning strike the top.
TREE2
Has been grown in the same style . This tree is 9 years old .
The oval pot is 9 years old made in Japan.
Dimensions Pot 3 / 7 / 9
from soil to top 24″
Seeds developed last year. Must be doing something right.
BONSAI W SEEDS
Tree 1 is the youngest of the lot. It was started 8 years ago. Planted in a 10 gallon pot to allow it to gain some size.
The pot is 15 years old made in Japan.
Dimensions Pot 2.5 / 11 / 15
from soil to top 24 ”
When we moved, this tree got stuck in the back and grew very well . In fact it got up to about six feet. In the Summer of 2014 the heat killed it back , at that time there where only the two main stems. Two more have started since it was cut down.
All of the wood that came off the tree is shown in the top photo.
next on the top I’ll drill down through the bare spot and “Naturalize” it.
Air Layering
Last year we where able to clone the bottom tree from the upper one. This was our first major success withe this procedure. both trees below are in process 
BONSAI DISPLAY -revisited
I ended up doing 4 prototype Bonsai displays in all. Only two of the four where used outside and had minimal care. Prototypes one and two where made by picking up the nearest thick piece of wood and cutting it with the bandsaw three and four had a lot more care and selection in the pieces to be used.
P3 Mahogany
P4 Walnut
Compared to the last photos the pots discolored due to weather and minimal care. The inside edge next to dirt worked very well, i coated the wood with Epoxy Resin to seal it. Plastic bottoms worked as desired. Also I secured feet or stands to each pot.
WALNUT DISPLAY POT
After spending about an hour on each pot I got everything cleaned, sanded, filled and finished. Any wood vessels left in the Pacific Northwest elements are going to require minimal care to keep it lasting a long time and “LOOKING GOOD”
The pot on the left is mahogany and the bottom right one is Walnut with natural edge.
Handmade BONSAI Dish
As a pro woodworker, Out of the Woods Bandon Or. For 10 years I acquired an eye for quality finishing and design . Matching the right size display dish to your tree is critical.
This first set of pictures shows a walnut base with natural edge and a 5 year old Costal Redwood . This tree has been.smallest of all my redwoods, this is the most dirt it has ever been in
My second handmade bonsai dish is made from a solid block of MahogaNyand displays a 5 year old trident maple grouping. The trees are all one root system.
Obviously there is still work to do on dirt levels and moss but I wanted to show these off.
Redwood Bonsai
Love the concept of Bonsai Redwood. Take one of the biggest growing items in the world, and keep it small.
We will be showing some of our REDWOODS being up to 15 years in our care. The first ones we bought as seedlings in Northern California. The latter ones have all been cuttings from those. We do have pictures going back to the start for these trees.
The above 3 photos show one of the 15 year old REDWOODS . Note the 1890’s Horseshoe, from Nothern San Jocquain valley.. Intentionally I leave as many starts as I can for three main reasons 1. New starts. 2. Root ball development. 3. If the tree dies we will be left with very highly figured BURLi
While this tree is coming along nicely. It still has many years to go before it becomes the world class specimen that it will become.q
It is funny how time goes. Don’t blink or you will miss it.
I have finally gotten the Bonsai Area up and functional. Still more to do but that will come as I use the area.. But it looks like everything will fit in this area.
Trees are looking good for the most part. We lost a couple of established trees over the winter. The last big freeze we had took its toll on the evergreens, dis coloring needles. But nothing we can’t fix.
On a positive side I have slowly started taking cuttings for propagation. I plan to do a lot of this since I now have a great area to plant them.
Ken’s Bonsai
Following shows a few of the Bonsai’s that we have been working on. More details to come.
These last two show the same tree before and after potting up. Every 2-4 years we remove the tree from the pot, clean and trim the roots, then repot with fresh soil. The redwood shown here was started from a cutting and I have been working on it since 2004. Note the multiple stems. This is one of my favorites.
Bonsai and Burl - 