by Ken Schultz

This book is a 1999 edition. I have had it in my collection for some time now, and I couldn't believe that I had not reported on it in the past. As we prepared for our Hypertufa pot making workshop, I flipped through several books looking for photos of handmade landscape slabs, carved rocks and irregular shaped. Three books were identified, the authors were; Su Chin Ee, Constance Tinsdale and Peter Adams. I am fairly certain that I have previously reported on the Tinsdale book and the Ee book. It is possible that I have reported on the Adams book, but if I have, it has been a long time ago.

This would be an excellent resource book for our upcoming forest planting workshop. A high proportion of the photographs are multiple tree plantings. The book has two large sections. The first section ; "Looking at Miniature Landscapes", shows individual species of trees in established plantings. This chapter includes, trident maple, elm, hemlock, Kingsville boxwood, European hornbeam, and American Larch. We will be offering Tridents and Larch in April.

Chapter seven of this book, "creating miniature landscapes" has nine different planting projects that the reader can attempt to duplicate. The landscapes include, Shimpaku, trident maple, elm, hemlock, Kingsville boxwood, hornbeam and American Larch.

In between these two major chapters is a lot of interesting material. Chapter five shows how to use the bottom out of a nursery tray to create a grid to tie trees in your forest to position and anchor them. It also shows how to use rocks and moss to create a more interesting finished work. Chapter six shows a couple of fiberglass "rock planter" projects. Chapter four covers plant shaping; this chapter includes how to create a raft from a single rooted tree.

I find the photographs by Bill Jordan, to be among the best I have seen in a bonsai book. In conjunction with the line drawings that llustrate the projects, this book ranks very high on my list.