About Matsu Bonsai
I grow Japanese black pine in Louisville, Kentucky.
I’m John Callaway. I’ve practiced bonsai since 2002 and started Matsu Bonsai in 2008. Most of what you’ll find here comes off my own bench: trees I’m developing, stands and jitas I’ve built, and notes on what worked and what didn’t.
2002
Started bonsai, with a first house and a yard
2008
Founded Matsu Bonsai as a stand and jita workshop
12th
Graduate of Boon Manakitivipart’s Bonsai Intensive, 2009
6–7
USDA zones the seasonal advice here is written for
What happens here
Trees, woodwork, and the writing that comes out of both
Matsu Bonsai is a one-person practice. That keeps it focused: one species at the center, a workshop on the side, and articles written from work I’ve actually done.
Trees
Japanese black pine, grown from seed
Black pine (Pinus thunbergii) is the center of the practice. I grow it from seed, develop young trees, and refine older ones, following the tree’s year: candles in spring, decandling in early summer, needle work in autumn, wiring in winter.
Workshop
Stands and jitas
Matsu Bonsai began in 2008 as a workshop for handcrafted display stands and jitas, and woodwork is still part of it. A tree on the bench is a work in progress. On a stand, it’s ready to be looked at.
Teaching
Writing it down
Teaching grew out of the club years. I served as president of the Greater Louisville Bonsai Society, co-founded bonsaistudygroup.com, and helped bring the American Bonsai Society Learning Seminar to Louisville. The articles here are the written version.
Where I learned
Trained in Japanese bonsai methodology
My formal training came from several years of travel to California to study under Boon Manakitivipart, one of North America’s foremost teachers of Japanese bonsai methodology.
- 2002A first house, a yard, and the start of serious study.
- 2004Joined the Greater Louisville Bonsai Society.
- 2007–08Served as president of the Greater Louisville Bonsai Society.
- 2008Founded Matsu Bonsai as a workshop for handcrafted stands and jitas.
- 2009Graduated from Boon’s Bonsai Intensive, the twelfth student to complete it. Co-founded bonsaistudygroup.com.
- 2011Helped bring the American Bonsai Society Learning Seminar to Louisville.
- 2015Moved to Florida.
- 2023Moved back to Louisville.
The day job
By profession I’m a software developer, a Microsoft MVP, and host of The 6 Figure Developer Podcast.
The two disciplines share more than you’d think: read the current state carefully, act at the right moment, and don’t skip steps.
Seasonal notes from the bench
New articles and a short note when the season turns. No spam, and you can unsubscribe anytime.
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