Outside Tokonoma

But of an odd one here (but then again I’m very odd, ask anyone who’s met me) can you have a tokonoma outside or is it not the done thing?

I’ve just finished re-vamping my patio and bench area and have a nice small display bench at the back of my house that I’m thinking about making some removable panels that I could erect to make a tokonoma when I have guests come round. Although I don’t have a grand collection of display worthy trees at the moment, I thought it might be a nice area to put out a display as a focal point to this part of the garden.

Your thoughts/comments would be appreciated and if I do go down this road I’ll post some pics.
Okk, Okk,
Simon

This is only might thoughts but i would think you could do whatever you wanted in your own garden Seriously though i'm no expert but i'm sure i've seen them in magazines.

I know that it’s my sproag-a-tive what happens in my garden (within decency laws of course) Smithy but I didn’t wanna look like a total tool if I ever happened to be graced by a UK Bonsai God in the future.

I can make myself look stupid enough without throwing another can of gas on the embers!!

bonsai monkey wrote: ... I didn’t wanna look like a total tool if I ever happened to be graced by a UK Bonsai God in the future.

Whaddya mean? I've already been!

A possible answer to your question: why not go for a mini tea house arrangement which incorporates a tokonoma?

There's a whole host of stuff on t'internet about it complete with designs and plans. Can be as inexpensive or as expensive as you like. Also gives you somewhere to store less hardy trees over winter.
If space is an issue, you could always convert the wendy house. Or the outside lavvy.

It would give Mac somewhere to go to contemplate and reflect. Readers please note, Mac was a Great Dane until Simon took up bonsai:

This is going to turn into a dog thread again.

I'm in the process of redesigning the areas to the sides of my Garage patio. (We built a 30X36 foot garage, all under one roof. However, the 30x12 foot area closest to the house was left as a patio, open on 3 sides.) We are putting in half walls on the 12 foot ends, with lattice from the top of the walls to the roof. Up till now one of these walls was lattice from floor to roof. Most of my tropicals have done quite well against this wall, they get indirect sunlight all day and only a few morning hours of direct sunlight. I also put trees that have recently been repotted. (Sorry, long story to set up for below.)

My plan is to make a tokonoma within the area above the half-wall and within the lattice. I would guess that this would be the perfect tokonoma as the trees and accent plant placed in here can be watered and monitored, enjoyed for the overall statement of the display and you shouldn't have to worry about whether the bonsai has been "inside" too long.

Tokonoma constitute viewing areas for your bonsai, I don't recall any limitations on them that require then to actually be inside.

Jay

You can set up a display area for your trees wherever (and however) you please. And, since I don't think you are Japanese it doesn't have to be called a Tokonoma.

As far as I'm concerned you can set up an outside display area as you see fit. If you want it to look like a tokonoma, there would be a few limitations in that the materials usually have interior grade finishes, planed and waxed timber etc that may be expensive and not last well outdoors. If you are considering it as a formal dispaly area, would you have a scroll on the back wall? That also would be open to the elements and either have to be specially made to be waterproof or only hung for a very short period while the weather is suitable. Similarly for display tables.

A plain background is always going to be good for viewing and photography but my personal preference would be for slatted shelves or display columns/monkey poles to stand trees on.

It would give Mac somewhere to go to contemplate and reflect. Readers please note, Mac was a Great Dane until Simon took up bonsai

funny that. Nellie was a westie until I took up bonsai

Don't worry about offending the Bonsai Gods. Free thinking is the only way to take things in a new direction! Who knows, outdoor tokonoma may be de rigeur in a few years, and all thanks to one adventurous soul with a few bits of spare wood!

Thanx for your imput guys.

Fiona
I said Bonsai God, not Goddess m'dear
I thought the outside lavvy* was our little secret
I'd love you idea of a Japanese Tea Room. I don't think that I could use the Wendy house as Sally recently reminded me that the other end of the garden is "mine"
I might errect something right down the bottom end where all of my "raw" raw material is.

Jim
I know where you are coming from re outside display areas and although I'm not Japanese I thought that it was a more elegent description of what I had in mind rather than a "posher" area to display my trees. After all this is a Bonsai Forum and I thought that using the term "Tokanoma" most people would get the gist of what I was aiming at.

Kev
I know where you are coming from with the drawbacks that you pointed out. What I have at the moment is slatted benches, as you mentioned, but I was thinking of a more temporary Tokanoma where I could add the side panels etc, along with display tables and scrolls for a special occassion ie Fiona's visit, family party etc, and then go to a "normal" display area. I hope that you know what I mean.

BTW
*We do now have inside plumbing now in the Rural South East.
No more midnight dashes down the garden

I'm sure that whatever you end up with it will be fine. You are giving it the necessary thought.

Bill Valavanis has an outdoor tokonoma. You can see a picture of it on his Web site.
www.internationalbonsai.com/
Iris

Last month Bonsai Society of Greater Springfield, MA had a workshop with Suthin Sukosolvisit this is a picture of his wonderful outdoor display space.