Bonsai Time Podcast

03/16/2026

Have you ever wondered what goes into a formal bonsai display stand? This is a subject that is often an afterthought for beginner-intermediate bonsai artists, but if you venture to a bonsai museum, local, or regional show, you will begin to see their importance and potential to enhance a bonsai's presence in a display.

We recently had the pleasure of releasing a 2-part interview with Austin Heitzman, based in Portland, OR, covering all things in the realms of bonsai stands and beyond in Austin's creative processes for his bonsai display furniture.

Check out episode 54 and 55 in our podcast feed or YouTube now. Show notes with additional pictures and links are at www.bonsaitimepodcast.com

01/31/2026

Another topic that came up in our recent chat with Ryan Neil was on some of his past exhibitions, which brought bonsai into unique architectural settings. Ryan has a great section of his website highlighting these beautiful blends of bonsai trees and man-made surroundings. Here are a few selected examples.

To hear more on this subject, listen to Bonsai Time Podcast episode 53 now on any podcast app and on our YouTube. Full links discussed in the episode and other relevant pictures can be found in the show notes below.
https://www.bonsaitimepodcast.com/2026/01/philosophy-of-bonsai-with-ryan-neil-ep.html

01/30/2026

One of the topics that came up in our recent episode with Ryan Neil was his prolific use of the distinct pots of Jonathan Cross. Ryan has made many beautiful creations by combining native US species bonsai (in these examples at least) with Jonathan's rough-textured and angular stone-inspired pots. These photos are all from the gallery of trees on the Bonsai Mirai website. They also carry Jonathan's pots for sale.

To hear more on this subject, listen to Bonsai Time Podcast episode 53 now on any podcast app and on our YouTube. Full links discussed in the episode and other relevant pictures can be found in the show notes below.
https://www.bonsaitimepodcast.com/2026/01/philosophy-of-bonsai-with-ryan-neil-ep.html

01/29/2026

Who is Ryan Neil, the man behind the educational empire that is Bonsai Mirai? In the wide-ranging discussion from Bonsai Time episode 53, we focused on Ryan's philosophy in his bonsai practice - how it shapes the trees he makes, the history of his garden, his pursuits in bonsai education, and much more.

Listen now on any podcast app and on our YouTube. Full links and pictures can be found in the show notes below.
https://www.bonsaitimepodcast.com/2026/01/philosophy-of-bonsai-with-ryan-neil-ep.html

01/16/2026

Another iconic style in John Geanangel's (recent Bonsai Time Podcast guest) garden is his slab planting bonsai using local South Carolina granite. We did not have time to discuss this in detail but we added some pictures of John's work and links in the show notes to an article from In Vivo Bonsai / Ryan's visit to John's garden a few years back where he showed the process of making these slab plantings.

Instagram forces some cropping so see the full pictures in the show notes. Listen to the episode wherever you get your podcasts, on our Youtube, or our website. Full show notes with more pictures of John's works and links to the ABS show information is on our website.
https://www.bonsaitimepodcast.com/2025/12/from-school-teacher-to-bonsai-in-blue.html

01/15/2026

Our recent guest John Geanangel is steeped in the plants and scenery in his native area of South Carolina, USA. He makes many excellent bonsai compositions modeled after the trees and scenes in his region as well as using native species directly. In these pictures you can see he is using Virginia pine, a boxwoods modeled after southern live oaks, and a various forest scenes featuring bald cypress and native broadleaves such as elms, maples, hornbeams, and hophornbeams.

Instagram forces some cropping so see the full pictures in the show notes. Listen to the episode wherever you get your podcasts, on our Youtube, or our website. Full show notes with more pictures of John's works and links to the ABS show information is on our website.
https://www.bonsaitimepodcast.com/2025/12/from-school-teacher-to-bonsai-in-blue.html

01/14/2026

What is the process of creating a bald cypress bonsai? Those collected from the wild or even grown in the ground to thicken the trunks faster often start as the first picture - a stump. With time and a healthy recovery, branches are selected and iteratively wired and pruned. John Geanangel in our recent interview discussed some of his methods for digging bald cypress and growing them from seed. But the nuances of how the branches are made over time is an expertise that a single conversation cannot easily provide. (But maybe a hands-on workshop with John could!) For that, you should get into nature and see how the wild bald cypress grow if you are after a naturalistic tree. Regardless, we hope you will learn some useful bits for your bonsai practice our conversation with John.

Instagram forces some cropping so see the full pictures in the show notes. Listen to the episode wherever you get your podcasts, on our Youtube, or our website. Full show notes with more pictures of John's works and links to the ABS show information is on our website.
https://www.bonsaitimepodcast.com/2025/12/from-school-teacher-to-bonsai-in-blue.html

01/13/2026

One of our recent guests was John Geanangel of Gaston, South Carolina. Over the years, John has shown his creativity and horticultural mastery in many areas of bonsai practice, including azaleas, wild-collected trees native to his area (broadleaf, pines, and bald cypress), growing from seed, and forest and slab plantings. In our chat though, before we got into his methods, we first focused on his background in bonsai and how he became to be the headliner artist for the Bonsai in the Blue Ridge 2026 American Bonsai Society Learning Seminar in Asheville, NC. We also discussed what you can expect as an attendee and the behind the scenes for John's 3 bald cypress workshops.

Listen to the episode wherever you get your podcasts, on our Youtube, or our website. Full show notes with more pictures of John's works and links to the ABS show information is on our website.
https://www.bonsaitimepodcast.com/2025/12/from-school-teacher-to-bonsai-in-blue.html

01/07/2026

Today’s episode is a special one! Your hosts Ryan Huston and Kevin Faris sat down with Ryan Neil of Bonsai Mirai, just outside Portland, Oregon. We dive into bonsai, life, apprenticeships, family, purpose through the art — and so much more. Enjoy and Bonsai on!

Today’s episode is a special one! Your hosts Ryan Huston and Kevin Faris sat down with Ryan Neil of Bonsai Mirai, just outside Portland, Oregon. We dive into...

01/07/2026

In today's episode, you’ll find Ryan and Kevin catching up on life and then jumping into the interview with a multi-talented former school teacher, master of rock slabs, forest plantings, and South Carolina yamadori collector - John Geanangel. John shared with us his bonsai origin story, how it led to becoming a headliner artist for the Bonsai in the Blue Ridge convention in 2026, and what you can expect when attending his 3(!) Bald cypress workshops there. We also discussed his methods for bald cypress yamadori collecting and growing from seed.

In today's episode, you’ll find Ryan and Kevin catching up on life and then jumping into the interview with a multi-talented former school teacher, master of...

12/17/2025

While our latest guest Robert has been busy over the last few decades archiving bonsai history, he has also been busy with his own pursuit of bonsai both as a student, educator, and club leader. He has practiced particularly in the Phoenix area and more recently in Colorado. See some of Robert's early bonsai days in the pictures below and hear the full story behind his journey into bonsai on our latest interview.

Find the Bonsai Time Podcast's latest episode in your podcast feed anywhere you listen, on YouTube, or at www.BonsaiTimePodcast.com! And learn more about bonsai's ancient history at www.MagiMiniland.org. Thanks, Robert for joining us!
Full show notes for Robert's episode with additional pictures and links are available here: https://www.bonsaitimepodcast.com/2025/11/robert-baran-inside-bonsais-past.html

12/14/2025

Robert Baran's website is full of historical photos from the world of bonsai. In this case, 2 of these photos originate from Japan immediately following WWII. American GIs were occupying and rebuilding the country and rebuilding trust. During this period, some Americans visited the garden of Murata - one of the few bonsai professionals given permission by the emperor of Japan to continue his bonsai profession during the war. Hear the full story behind these photos in our latest interview with Robert.

Discover the stories behind these and many other pieces of bonsai history in our latest interview on the Bonsai Time Podcast anywhere you listen, on YouTube, or at www.BonsaiTimePodcast.com! And learn more about bonsai's ancient history at www.MagiMiniland.org. Thanks, Robert for joining us!
Full show notes for Robert's episode with additional pictures and links are available here: https://www.bonsaitimepodcast.com/2025/11/robert-baran-inside-bonsais-past.html