Just a cold, wet day at San Gabriel Nursery

[Bonsai Nut]

I was on a double-top-secret mission to pick up a Catlin elm for a bonsai friend on the East Coast... Here's some picks. Note Si in the background in his red rain-coat; every time the wind blew it would dump water on us

 

[Cadillactaste]

What a dream to walk through a nursery like that one! The last photo...the grouping at the bottom of the photo. OH MY WORD! That really caught my eye.

 

[michaelj]

I love that nursery. It reminds me of Jim Murata's old bonsai nursery in Westminster. I miss that place.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I love that nursery. It reminds me of Jim Murata's old bonsai nursery in Westminster. I miss that place.

I remember it fondly as well. One day it was there... and the next time I tried to go there it was a freeway...

Did you know that Si got some of the landscape trees that were on the outside? Apparently some of the land was purchased for the car dealership next door and Si went over and asked them if he could dig up any of the trees and they said "help yourself"(!)

 

[ColinFraser]

A top secret bonsai mission can't help but make me think of the parody song "Secret Asian Man"

 

[Smoke]

Here is a scan from Jim's card from around 1986.

Anyone remember Marumiya Nursery. I went there around the same time. These are all scans... no digital camera's back then!

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I bought the stone lantern for my koi pond at Marumiya...

 

[Smoke]

I bought the stone lantern for my koi pond at Marumiya...

Did he just go out of business or get too old?

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I don't know. I have to be honest it wasn't my favorite nursery. He seemed a little ornery every time I was there. Not at all consumer-friendly. But he had nice stone lanterns... the real deal including the expensive carved granite ones I could never afford. And he was the cork-bark black pine king...

I just Googled his location and there is still a lot of stuff overgrowing the lot, including landscape JBP and lots of bamboo. I don't know what is going on there... no bonsai business and maybe someone using the lot for storage?

 

[Vin]

Here is a scan from Jim's card from around 1986.

Anyone remember Marumiya Nursery. I went there around the same time. These are all scans... no digital camera's back then!

You and Greg need to be the official California Bonsai Historians.

 

[Smoke]

I am. How do you think I have all the documentation about Boon and Jim Gremel and many others that did not pertain to "that" thread. I lost way too much pictures from two computer crashes that were not backed up. I have boxes of pictures on film that I have not seen for three decades.

 

[fredman]

Man that is one cool looking nursery. Nothing even vaguely like that in the whole of this country. I would get lost in there...!!!!

 

[Smoke]

I don't know. I have to be honest it wasn't my favorite nursery. He seemed a little ornery every time I was there. Not at all consumer-friendly. But he had nice stone lanterns... the real deal including the expensive carved granite ones I could never afford. And he was the cork-bark black pine king...

I just Googled his location and there is still a lot of stuff overgrowing the lot, including landscape JBP and lots of bamboo. I don't know what is going on there... no bonsai business and maybe someone using the lot for storage?

I was there only once. I didn't really see anything that blew my skirt up. I went to Murata about five or six times. That is where I filled in most of my back issues of "Bonsai In California". I always felt he had a bonsai nursery for newbies and the gift trade. All of his trees looked exactly alike. Procumbens informal uprights by the book. Anyone in bonsai might start there and then graduate to Ishii pretty quickly.

 

[Vin]

I am. How do you think I have all the documentation about Boon and Jim Gremel and many others that did not pertain to "that" thread. I lost way too much pictures from two computer crashes that were not backed up. I have boxes of pictures on film that I have not seen for three decades.

Sounds to me like the makings of a good book. I'd like to preorder the first copy as long as you autograph it. You have the skills, just do it!

 

[armetisius]

I was on a double-top-secret mission to pick up a Catlin elm for a bonsai friend on the East Coast... Here's some picks. Note Si in the background in his red rain-coat; every time the wind blew it would dump water on us

Good thing I don't live there.
"But your honor what do you mean I can't
keep my trees thru the bankruptcy?"
Just saying . . .

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I was there only once. I didn't really see anything that blew my skirt up. I went to Murata about five or six times. That is where I filled in most of my back issues of "Bonsai In California". I always felt he had a bonsai nursery for newbies and the gift trade. All of his trees looked exactly alike. Procumbens informal uprights by the book. Anyone in bonsai might start there and then graduate to Ishii pretty quickly.

Yes I would agree with everything you are saying. Marumiya was one of my "second tier" stops if I happened to be in the neighborhood. It was relatively small and I thought the trees were pricey for what they were...

Murata had a lot of smaller trees, only a few medium ones, and really nothing large... though I did buy a few decent black pines from him that I still have. I thought his wife was very pleasant and was always welcoming, and they did have a fair selection of pots. Lot of small mallsai-looking Chinese elm shohin, etc, but I always seemed to find something there to pick up. I was really saddened to see it go, because it was the closest of the "real" bonsai nurseries to my house.

Nothing like Chikugo-En, but nothing like their prices, either I can only afford a few things from Gary's place... and they are all on the small side.

That is one of the reasons why I like San Gabriel - because I mostly shop pre-bonsai and they tend to have a large assortment. Same thing with House of Bonsai... acres of pre-bonsai where you can sometimes find a diamond in the rough...

 

[Tieball]

I always visited the Yamaguchi Bonsai Nursery near...Los Angeles...located on Sawtelle Blvd. The trees were pricey....but Mrs. Yamaguchi was a wonderful older woman that still worked on trees in the back. I had an opportunity on one trip to walk through the trees and listen to her comments...mostly around her late husbands skill and talent with bonsai trees. Lots of good wisdom. The staff was always helpful. Not a huge facility...just a great visit. I have several Japanese pots from there....mostly all a very deep olive green color....think unglazed dark Army green. I don't have trees for the pots yet....but have nice pots.

 

[sorce]

I'd like to preorder the first

I'd pre-order the second....
If it comes with a signed thong.

Sorce

 

[Vin]

I'd pre-order the second....
If it comes with a signed thong.

Sorce

Ewwwwwww!

 

[sorce]

Ewwwwwww!

You imagined the ass oil stain too!

That's why you can "see" a good tree!

Sorce