Page 41 - BSAM 2016 Q4

& a Mighty Yew
his recent work on a yew called il Nettuno
made of yew wood. In North America, indigenous people made strong and long-lasting canoe paddles from the mighty yew.
e yew in this article is a Taxus cuspidata, Japanese yew or spreading yew, native to Japan, Korea, northeast China and the extreme southeast of Russia. Individual trees from Sikhote-Alin, a mountain range in Russia that is home to brown bears, reindeer and Siberian tigers, are known to be 1,000 years old.
BCI Director and noted bonsai artist and teacher Massimo Bandera recently worked on a yew, and had to bend a heavy branch to realize the tree’s full aesthetic
potential. A er he sent me the photos showing the work on this exceptional specimen, I interviewed him by e-mail. Here is our conversation about this singular bonsai tree which he calls il Nettuno (Neptune).
What is this tree’s story? How long have you cultivated it?
For some time I followed the collection of a dear friend, the collector Antonio Villena della Spagna. In 2011 told me about an old Taxus he was thinking of acquiring. e trunk shows an incredible age which I estimate between 500 and 600 years. A er Antonio purchased it, I cultivated the tree for three years.
Top row; Massimo applies a lime sulphur solution to the deadwood.
Example of treated deadwood in the crown of the tree.
Calm and composed, Antonio and Gigi’s pet dog Haiko helped set the mood for this creative afternoon that was made warmer with friendship.
Bottom left; The branch that will be hollowed out and bent to lessen its angle.
Bottom right; Reducing the girth of a branch to create better taper by stripping bres in the direction of the veins to create more natural-looking deadwood.
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