About admin

Hi, my name is Greg Watson but just about everyone calls me Watto. The nickname comes from my sporting life and my work. I have been active in bonsai for more than 20 years, but the level of activity has been determined by how much time I had to devote. Work and sport did take me away from this fine art on and off over the years but I have always come back. I am a lover of decidious trees, both flowering and non-flowering, and I am particually interested in trees that are dug from either the wild or from gardens. I believe I should firstly ensure dug trees grow and prosper and then try to enhance the beauty that Mother Nature has given each plant. Not change them too much, but just highlight the beauty that Mother Nature has started. I have a collection that is too big (probably over 100 trees) and a passion for bonsai pots that my darling wife calls "worrying". Of course if you have trees, you need pots - its that simple. I am a member of the Goulburn Bonsai Society Inc and a member of the Ausbonsai family. I really enjoy getting out and looking at bonsai, talking about bonsai and being engulfed by the bonsai spirit. I hope you enjoy my trees.

Watto’s Bonsai Pots

Posted on December 16, 2018 by admin

This year I started taking lessons in “pottery” however my teacher thinks of it as ceramic art I still manage to turn each project into a bonsai pot. I have had a great time and passed my first year as well as managing a few pots along the way.

This is a section of the pots just out of the kiln, all made with different methods and varying applications used on them, but still all bonsai pots. I will probably never be a “real” bonsai pot maker but I have had a heap of fun doing this.

Eucalyptus as Bonsai

Posted on December 15, 2018 by admin

This is a Eucalyptus cinerea which is the local gum tree in this area so it seemed appropriate that I should have one in my collection. I bought this tree from a nursery at Yass and that was quite a few years ago. Unfortunately I don’t have any photos from “the old days” so you will just have to put up with the photos I took this week. This species was called Argyle apple by early settlers in this area although it has no relation to a real apple tree.

I have moved this from the training pot to a real bonsai pot, although the bonsai pot is still a bit big, its a transitional move. The pot is by Australian potter Janet Selby and I think the colours suit the tree in an Australian setting.

This is the work before.

There is still plenty of work to be done on this tree but I am hopeful that over time it will develop into a fine small bonsai.

Callistemon

Posted on December 13, 2018 by admin

I think this is Callistemon subulatus however I can’t be 100% sure because it was dug from a garden and the owners had no idea what species it was.

It was dug in 2012 so I have now been the proud owner for six years. It has a great feature for bonsai in that the leaves are quite needle like and small in comparison to other bottlebrush. It also flowers well and the flowers are small (again in comparison to other bottlebrush) and so more in keeping with the size of the bonsai.

This year it had a larger number of flowers, around 30 so I am pleased. However the majority at the back so here is a photo of what was previously the front but that was changed to the current view a couple of years ago.