Global Saikei

I am actively seeking those who are interested in Saikei from all over the world to find out what they would want from a global association dedicated to Saikei.

So if you have an interest in Saikei please email me on saikei@mail.com and let me know what you think.

Saikei Rocks

In the picture above you can see the rocks in place for a Saikei with a foundation of clay, sand, organic matter (OM) mix.

I was asked on Saturday where the best place to get rocks for Saikei is, well in my experience the best places to try are aquarium places as they tend to have rocks which have an interesting shape and often are varied in size.

In Saikei it is often best to try to get rocks of differing sizes so that you can position them to create different heights, thus avoiding a uniformed look. I will normally start with a main rock and then select other rocks with similar charecteristics to act as the 'supporting rocks'.

Remember that when you do Saikei you will vary the texture of the rocks to suit the style of Saikei you are creating, i.e. smooth rocks best suit lowland or lakeside Saikei, whereas rugged rocks will suit coastal or alpine compositions.

Sussex Group 30th Anniversary Show

The International Saikei Association attended the recent 30th anniversary show in Hove East Sussex of the Sussex Bonsai Group. During the 2 Days we gained 3 new members and a lot of interest in the art of Saikei. On the Saturday I did a demonstration of Saikei in the Coastal Style in which I was assisted in the creation by one of our members Paul Eslinger, I have posted pictures of this demonstration taken by Paul’s better half Brenda.

The Saikei was composed using Cryptomeria japonica ‘Yokohama’ and ‘ocean rock’ which turned out really well except for a slight empty space in the rear of the planting which will be filled by another Cryptomeria shortly; I will post pictures once done.

As you can see in the finished shot the rock is still a bit bright and will need to weather/age to truly become beautiful but the composition does reflect a coastal location.