A visit to Bonsai Boon and the suiseki/bonsai collections of Mas Nakajima and his wife Janet Roth concluded our visit to the Golden State before departing for our tour to Japan.

Bonsai Boon is the garden/school of Boon Manakitivipart who recently moved to a new larger location. Although Boon travels around the globe teaching and consulting his popular “Bonsai Intensives” classes are held in his school. He has many different species but pines and junipers seem to be represented most.

David Campbell transplanting a Japanese maple

It was quite interesting to see his training methods and garden layout as well. The automatic watering system was well designed and works well. Boon’s table construction and lay out was well organized and each was filled with his and his clients beautiful bonsai.

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Mas Nakajima and Janet Roth suiseki and bonsai garden

Our last stop was to the home of artists Mas Nakamima who specializes in collecting suiseki and carving daiza. His lovely wife, Janet Roth, also collects stones as well as training her own bonsai. I have never seen such a large collection of suiseki in one place. There were beautiful and distinctive stones everywhere. A large area, near the rear of their garden, contained severa shelves of prized suiseki, each of which has their own hand carved daiza by Mas protected indoors.

Each of these suiseki have a daiza indoors

Sam Edge admiring a suiseki

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Janet Roth and Mark Arpag

Mark Arpag, Sean Smith and Mas Nakajima discussing a daiza

Although there were more stones than I could count, each was distinctively different and showed the deep understanding and fine taste of Mas and Janet.