This majestic old pomegranate (Punica granatum) was styled by John Naka. After John died, his wife Alice donated it to the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum in Washington DC. You can view it and a host of other masterpieces first hand if you’re up for the journey; a trip well worth the trouble, especially if [...]
This Goldflame Japanese Spirea (Spiraea japonica ‘Goldflame’) was originally dug from a garden in the UK. It was styled by Harry Harrington. You can view it and numerous other noteworthy bonsai at bonsai4me.com. One reason we’ve been featuring field growing so much is that the US government restrictions make importing quality stock from Asia somewhere [...]
In the expert hands of Michael Hagedorn, this collected Rocky Mountain Juniper (Juniperus scopulorum) in transformed into two noteworthy bonsai. A remarkable transformation of a Rocky Mountain Juniper …actually, two Rocky Mountain Junipers. When I first posted this (just a couple minutes ago) I was convinced that Michael made two bonsai from the collected tree [...]
Not too long ago we featured a photo of this magnificent old white pine in a post about the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum. Yesterday I got an email from the President of the National Bonsai Foundation, Felix Laughlin, who suggested that we post the whole story on this famous old tree. Take a look [...]
This Satsuki azalea (Rhododendron indicum) was originally field grown (it’s from Bonsai Today issue 40). Field growing is common for azaleas; some start as landscape plants and are later dug up for bonsai, while others are grown as bonsai stock from the beginning. In our last field growing post we mention planting directly into native [...]
Norway spruce (Picea abies) by Francois Jeker. From his book Bonsai Aesthetics. You can learn a lot by studying photos of what other people have done. Especially if artist is very accomplished and you have before and after shots. Fortunately, one of our favorite European artists, Francois Jeker features just that on his website. Check [...]
Bill Valavanis, one of North America’s preeminent bonsai artists, teachers and publishers, lost his house to a fire this January. In addition to the hardship and loss suffered by Bill and his family, valuable antique bonsai books and other irreplaceable materials were lost. Fortunately, Bill’s nursery, which is next to his house, was undamaged. From [...]
