PodcastsArtsA Bonsai Side Quest

A Bonsai Side Quest

TreeMakers & Montane Bonsai
A Bonsai Side Quest
Latest episode

46 episodes

  • A Bonsai Side Quest

    46. Professional Procrastination is Patience

    09/03/2026 | 1h 33 mins.
    After another long gap between episodes, Hugh and Jarryd sit down for a much-needed catch-up. They talk about Jarryd’s studio build-out, Hugh’s ongoing garden excavation, recent gallery events and collaborations, and what’s been happening in their bonsai gardens.

    The conversation wanders through good rocks and stone stacking, DIY projects, fertilising routines, and the parallels between building garden infrastructure and building bonsai. Along the way they share a few garden mistakes, compare notes on pacing and routine, and reflect on the ongoing experience of committing to bonsai.

    Hugh's Dr Green Thumb -  https://treemakers.com.au/store-all/p/greenspace-liquid-fertiliser 

    Love the podcast? You can support us here and 'buy us a coffee' https://buymeacoffee.com/bonsaisidequest

    Hugh Grant - Tree Makers https://treemakers.com.au/

    Jarryd Bailey - Montane Bonsai https://www.montanebonsai.com/ 

    Eve Sczechowski - Yves Media https://www.yvesfilm.com/
  • A Bonsai Side Quest

    45. The Not Gross Grose Valley

    29/12/2025 | 43 mins.
    In this outdoor, in-the-wild recording of A Bonsai Side Quest, Hugh and Jarryd come to you perched from a sandstone outcrop in the Blue Mountains, with beer cans in hand. They discuss the views and the species you can't see (become a Bonsai Side-Quester to view: https://buymeacoffee.com/bonsaisidequest), being in the wild to seek bonsai inspiration, and embracing one's micro environment locality in their practice. 

    Love the podcast? You can support us here and 'buy us a coffee' https://buymeacoffee.com/bonsaisidequest

    Hugh Grant - Tree Makers https://treemakers.com.au/

    Jarryd Bailey - Montane Bonsai https://www.montanebonsai.com/ 

    Eve Sczechowski - Yves Media https://www.yvesfilm.com/
  • A Bonsai Side Quest

    44. Hooned it up the Mountains in Copper Foil Hats

    13/11/2025 | 1h 12 mins.
    For this episode, Jarryd visits Hugh at Tree Makers Bonsai Studio in the Blue Mountains after completing some BSA events in Sydney. They catch up on their activities of the past month and discuss Jarryd's demo Nothofagus styling (with some bloodshed), collecting trips, the opening of the Tondoon Botanic Gardens Bonsai collection, weather updates, the seasonal challenges, hardscaping maintenance, and wire materials. 

    Love the podcast? You can support us here and 'buy us a coffee' https://buymeacoffee.com/bonsaisidequest

    Hugh Grant - Tree Makers https://treemakers.com.au/

    Jarryd Bailey - Montane Bonsai https://www.montanebonsai.com/ 

    Eve Sczechowski - Yves Media https://www.yvesfilm.com/
  • A Bonsai Side Quest

    43. Where the Hell Have we Been

    10/10/2025 | 1h 14 mins.
    After a long hiatus, we return and apologise for our absence!  

    Winter has kept Hugh and Jarryd busy behind the scenes: learning, refining, and evolving as their practices and businesses grow.

    Jarryd’s been deep in the work, tending the Niwaki pines at MONA, surviving spider attacks, pencil pine forest cleanups, and travelling for the GAB event in Western Australia.

    Hugh’s been also immersed in Niwaki pruning, teaching an intensive rock planting course, creating with students, including a long anticipated forest planting, and making a trip to the U.S., including a visit to Mirai and the Oregon Coast.

     

    Love the podcast? You can support us here and 'buy us a coffee' https://buymeacoffee.com/bonsaisidequest

    Hugh Grant - Tree Makers https://treemakers.com.au/

    Jarryd Bailey - Montane Bonsai https://www.montanebonsai.com/ 

    Eve Sczechowski - Yves Media https://www.yvesfilm.com/
  • A Bonsai Side Quest

    42. Growing in Our Own Repotting Filth

    16/07/2025 | 1h 21 mins.
    In this episode, Hugh and Jarryd share their upcoming repotting season anticipation, preparation work, and woes from mistakes past. They dig into the nitty-gritty of soil substrates, chopsticks, moss, and much more. 

     

    Love the podcast? You can support us here and 'buy us a coffee' https://buymeacoffee.com/bonsaisidequest

    Are you stocked up on soils for the repotting season? See our premium substrates from Tree Makers - https://treemakers.com.au/store-all/substrates

    Hugh Grant - Tree Makers https://treemakers.com.au/

    Jarryd Bailey - Montane Bonsai https://www.montanebonsai.com/ 

    Eve Sczechowski - Yves Media https://www.yvesfilm.com/

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About A Bonsai Side Quest

Hugh R. Grant of TreeMakers Design and Jarryd Bailey of Montane Bonsai have long been best friends, brought together by a shared passion for bonsai and the wilderness, AKA the bush. With a lens of self-humor, the two reflect on Australian bonsai and what it means to be bonsai professionals… sorta.
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