this week my friend Harry and I went to Wolfgang Käflein in Neidelsbach, Germany. It´s always a highlight going back to his terrific yamadori garden!
This time I decided to take 3 of my own yamadoris (a knotted mugo pine, scots pine, larch) for exchange.
Pretty soon I saw a huge hornbeam and I asked Wolfgang after the tree´s condition (It had a lot of rotten wood though.) So he took the tree out of the pot and showed us the healthy root system with the amazing nebari! He also instructed us about the rotten and the intact parts of the trunk.
Before we knew what was happening, he already took his chainsaw and started to massacre the tree. Oh my god - what a sight!!! Wood shavings were flying around and the chainsaw was smoking as hell! He saw out a big part of the rotten wood and started to hollow the trunk.
Well, I decided to take the tree with me.
There´s nothing better than ambling through this garden in the warm spring weather ...
The huge elm with the outstanding nebari. Perhaps on the picture it doesn´t look like it ... but the tree is enormously big an FAAAAAt!
A very nice hornbeam with great potential (front- and backside):
Wolfgang came occasionally to us, sat down and told us a few stories about his yamadori experiences and adventures. It´s always interesting to listen!
There is a big number of excellent hawthorns to find!
Harry decided for this beauty:
Some stunning field maples:
His Majesty!
So finally it was time to say goodbye. The trees (2 hornbeams, a field maple and a wild cherry) came with us and we drove home to Austria :)
That was definitely not the last visit, that´s for sure!!!
Hm!
AntwortenLöschenThere are to many good prebonsais. I see you travel with a WAN ...
We have a friend, who worked by Mr. Käflein, he called József Burschl. Is he there at present? I don't know, I'm not sure.
What kind of soil use Mr.Käflein? Pure gravel, or mixed by something?
Greatings!
Balázs
Hi Balázs,
AntwortenLöschenI´ve been visiting Käflein two years already and I didn´t see anybody else helping him except his nephew.
But I have been told that there was once a guy, which was working for him. It was a fact, that he brought a big number of Hungarian Oaks (Quercus Pubescens)in outstanding quality to Käflein´s garden! Was this József Burschl, maybe? How do you know him?
Wolfgang uses a mixture of gravel and sand. That´s not the best soil, but surely the cheapest! I guess, if you have over 1000 preebonsais, you´re not able to buy any better soil components like akadama, fibotherm, peat, pumice, etc.
Greetings,
Igor
Hi!
AntwortenLöschenI know József Burschl from the University Bonsai Club. This is the club, where I'm member also.
He lived in Pécs, but because of private problems, he moved to Germany, and began to work by Mr.Käflein. As much as I know, he toke his private collection with himself. But I think not all of the plants. There are more bonsais, they are in the National Bonsai Collection in the Budapest Zoo.
So the Oaks, that you saw, are comming from Pécs. József has so many perfect yamadoris, the best pines, that man can collect in Hungary.
With best regards!
Balázs
Thank you for information, Balázs! Can you tell me if it´s maybe possible to get in contact with József? Do you have any address or e-mail from him?
AntwortenLöschenI would like to meet this guy. He has to be a keen yamadori collector and a good shaper!
Thank you :)
Hallo,
AntwortenLöschenGreat trees you bought there, how much are the trees at Käfleins?
Greetings fron Hannover, Boris
Servus Boris,
AntwortenLöschenes ist schwierig über Wolfgangs Preise zu sprechen. Die Preise macht er mehr oder weniger je nach Sympathie zum Käufer. Soviel ich über diverse Bonsai-Foren mitbekommen habe, ist bis jetzt ein jeder begeistert gewesen. Wenn du auf der Suche nach Rohmaterial bist, dann ist er die richtige Adresse!
Schöne Grüße,
Igor