ABOUT BOON
Boon's passion has always been bonsai education—both learning and teaching. His innovative yet systematic teaching method emphasizes learning bonsai through a clear, structured approach based on fundamental principles found in nature. His goal is to enable students to fully understand and master every stage of bonsai development across a wide variety of species.
Inspired by a small juniper in 1989, Boon's journey led him from local clubs in California to Japan, where he trained under legendary masters such as Akio Kondo, Kihachiro Kamiya, and Yasuo Mitsuya.
His apprenticeship included preparing prize-winning trees at world-class bonsai exhibits and achieving significant international recognition on his own, including the first Grand Prize awarded to a non-Japanese professional at the prestigious Kindai Bonsai Styling Contest in Japan.
His work is featured in many bonsai publications, including Bonsai Today's Juniper Master's Series, where his collected juniper (yamadori) are featured alongside the trees of Masahiko Kimura and John Naka.
Boon genuinely cares about his students' progress and takes great pride in their achievements — many have themselves become acclaimed bonsai artists and teachers, including Jonas Dupuich, Michael Hagedorn, Kaya Mooney, Tyler Sherrod, Peter Tea, and Matt Walker.
Boon received his professional certification from the Nippon Bonsai Association in 2010.