#36 Peter Tea - Part 1

I just got back from four days of working on trees up at Peter Tea’s place, PTBonsai.com. While I was there, after some long but really fun days working on a bunch of trees, we sat down one evening, grabbed a drink, and just talked.

I got to pick Peter’s brain about what really goes into building a high-level bonsai collection—how to think about ranking your trees, the ideal number of trees to own, and his plans for attending Kokufu 100. We also talked about some of the questions he’s planning to ask his teacher, Mr. Tanaka, and a whole lot more.

This is part one of a two-part conversation, so keep an eye out for part two coming soon.

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - Black Pondo Podcast
• (00:01:50) - What is Cognac?
• (00:02:43) - Bonsai shows in Japan
• (00:04:12) - Bonsai Tour of Japan
• (00:07:09) - Bonsai instructor talks orchids
• (00:08:50) - Peter's Way of Learning
• (00:11:57) - Bonsai Professional: Open Minds
• (00:16:28) - Bonsai Master Tanaka
• (00:20:25) - Double Cheers in Japan
• (00:20:35) - Interview with Bonsai Legend Tanaka
• (00:24:21) - What is it that Japanese Bonsai Like?
• (00:30:24) - Bonsai Expert: Mr. Tanaka's Perspective
• (00:33:25) - How to Rank Your Bonsai Trees
• (00:37:35) - Have You Got Too Many Bonsai Trees?
• (00:40:57) - The Best Bonsai Trees
• (00:45:52) - Bigger Trees
• (00:50:03) - Tree Gardener: Do Trees Grow Well?
• (00:51:25) - How to Choose Good Water for Bonsai
• (00:54:49) - Choosing the right Korean hornbeam or Chinese elm
• (00:57:33) - Gardening 101: Deciduous Trees
• (01:01:00) - The Secret to Building a Bonsai Collection
• (01:04:49) - How Do You Grade a Tree?
• (01:08:01) - Louis XIII Drinking Remy Martin 1738 Accord Royale