This may be the the best Camellia bonsai you’ll ever see. Not that there are that many good camellia bonsai, at least not in my experience. No matter, the strong trunk, great display of flowers, the brilliant emerald foliage and excellent pot, make for an exceptional tree.
A truly remarkable and unique new book arrived yesterday. All the photos in this post are from Extreme Beauty, A Life Devoted to Bonsai. As far as I know, there are only 25 copies of Extreme Beauty available in the U.S (before you bust me, please be aware that ‘as far as I know’ may not be all that far). Anyway, the 25 copies that I’m sure about, just arrived from Japan yesterday, and presto, they’re already up on our website. Meanwhile please enjoy these three photos (of the hundreds featured in the book).
One more thing you should know before you fork out your hard earned cash; all the text is in Japanese. But please don’t despair, there’s a booklet with English translations that accompanies each book.
Unlike Camellias, you do see plenty of excellent Ume (Prunus mume) bonsai. Still, there is excellent, and then, there is sublime.
This Japanese white pine is called Kannon (Bodhisattva of Compassion). Sabamiki (hollow trunk) and deadwood is not all that common on pines, so when you see both on the same pine, you know it’s an unusual tree. Here’s another famous Japanese white pine with sabamiki and deadwood.
The cover of Extreme Beauty.