A remarkable place
It’s been way too many years since I visited Jim Smith’s Durastone Nursery in Vero Beach. Florida. It’s a remarkable place; just the sheer volume (shear volume too) of bonsai and bonsai stock is overwhelming. So overwhelming in fact that I still can’t quite figure out how Jim and his son Doug keep the whole place from turning into a jungle (it almost the tropics down there, you know). But they do, and the results are a delight to behold.

Just gentleman will do
I mostly try to keep personalities out of the picture and just focus on bonsai in this blog. But, I so enjoyed the time I spent with Jim Smith going through his nursery, and his how his kind and gentle demeanor always made the experience doubly enjoyable, that I was going to call this post ‘A Gentelman’s Gentleman,’ that is until I wisely decided to look the term up and discovered that it refers to a Gentleman’s manservant. So we’ll stick with just gentleman. I think if fits just fine.

A Narrow leaf ficus by Jim Smith. If you look closely, you’ll see a bunch of tiny bromeliads in the crotches and along the main branches . The rugged natural feel on this tree is characteristic of Jim’s bonsai. The photo is from ‘A living tribute to the bonsai styling of James J. Smith.’

This Bougainvillea was donated to the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum by Jim. The photo is by Jonas Dupuich; from a Bonsai Tonight post on tropical bonsai at the Museum.

Our big FREE give-away & more to come
A rare sunny weekend is beckoning, so we’ll make this one quick and easy. Stay posted for more powerful Taiwanese bonsai in the next few days. Meanwhile, don’t forget your FREE ITEMS when you order at Stone Lantern (but only if you put FREE ITEMS in the comments when you order).

FREE STUFF when you order at Stone Lantern and you remember to put FREE ITEMS in the comments. For details scroll down to the post below or click here.

Now half price. Order this collector’s set from the first two U.S. National Bonsai Exhibitions and save 50%

It’s not a bonsai, but it is a sweet photo. It turned up on the New England Bonsai Gardens facebook page a while back.

Restyling a Mugo pine. The Bonsai Journal has an excellent step-by-step photo article by Wolfgang Putz on his award winning Mugo pine. This photo was taken in October 2002 at the Euro Bonsai Gala. The tree was selected among the fifteen best trees of the show by the two special guests from Japan, Mr. Harunobu Tokita and Mr. Yoshihiro Nakamizu.

Paolo Gai sent us this digitally altered version of an ancient looking Ezo spruce that we featured two weeks ago. At the time I wondered what would happen if you removed the shari. Now, thanks to Paolo Gai, we have an answer.

The old Ezo with its eye-catching shari.

Bonsai Tourists. This friendly photo is from the latest Bonsai No Satori, the Rosade Bonsai Studio Newsletter.

You don’t see that many Birch bonsai. Let along quality Birch bonsai. This one is from the Maros Bonsai Blog. Apologies to Maros for playing with the image in order to get a clear background. You can go here to see original photo.

This looks intriguing. I’ve often thought that residential retreats are one of the best ways to enhance your bonsai skills. You can check it out here.

Recently we featured a dramatic raft style bonsai. Now here’s another. It’s somewhat unusual because it starts above ground and finishes above ground. I think it’s worth noting that raft bonsai are not all that common outside of Japan. Unfortunately, I don’t know who this one belongs to. Anyone?

The Columbus Bonsai Society’s new newsletter is out. Among other things it features the event above and a review of Willi Benz’ Bonsai, Kusamono & Suiseki (on sale at Stone Lantern for only 9.95).

It’s that time of year. Bonsai West’s Spring Open House is coming soon.

Two of the best tree nurseries anywhere
If you’re ever in northern New England you might want to visit two of the best tree nurseries anywhere. Shin Boku and Baker Valley Nursery in Wentworth N.H. are home to some of the most wonderful specimen landscaping trees I’ve ever seen. The first time I visited Shin-Boku and Baker Valley (thanks to a tip from Doug Roth of the Japanese Garden Journal) I walked around in a daze. Now, after three or four visits a year for the last four or five years, I still walk around in a daze.

Shin-Boku’s open house & the bonsai demo
Shin-Boku’s open house is Memorial Day weekend. There will be bonsai demo Saturday the 26th. Because of the size of the planting and number of trees involved, we’ll start early and will most likely end late.

A small sampling of Shin Boku’s field grown trees.

Some more field grown stock. We’re going to use some large container grown versions of these (Thuja occidentalis ‘Degroot’s Spire’) to make a large forest for the bonsai demo. Just to give you an idea of the size; the wooden box/pot is going to be about five feet long and some of the trees are close to six feet tall.

A sky shot of part of Shin Boku Nursery. Some of those trees down there have bonsai potential.

Nearby Baker Valley Nursery. Both Shin Boku and Baker Valley are owned by Palmer Koelb and both are home to some of the most eye-popping field grown and container grown stock you’ll ever see.

If you’re landscape tree person, or a gardener, or even a bonsai nut, you might want to take a look at our Okatusne tools. Doug Roth of the Japanese Garden Journal first turned me on to them (this is not the only good tip he’s given me – see above), and now I owe him more than I can repay.

Better late…
Looks like World Bonsai Day almost got away from me. It’s tomorrow and the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum is hosting an open house in its honor. My apologies to you and the good people at the National Arboretum for not putting this up sooner.

The Glitz
The good news is that the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum is hosting other exciting events coming up, including ‘Putting on the Glitz,’ an Azalea Bonsai Exhibit, May 26 – June 3.

Putting on the Glitz. “In Japan, it is said that the beauty of an azalea bonsai in bloom is like the beauty of a courtesan dressed in her finest brocade kimono. Breathtaking blossoms cover these late-blooming Satsuki azaleas, miniature in form, but covered with full-sized flowers. This annual spring exhibit showcases the most spectacular examples.” Azalea Bonsai Exhibit: May 26 – June 3, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm. National Bonsai & Penjing Museum Special Exhibits Wing. Free.

It’s been close to twenty years since I’ve visit Roy Nagatoshi’s Fuji Bonsai. Thinking back, the images that come to mind are Roy’s delightful old father and the numerous extraordinarily powerful, massive trunked bonsai. Judging by this photo, it looks like that hasn’t changed. Photo from Capital Bonsai.

Not so naturalistic
It’s not my intention to reopen the old naturalistic versus sculptural bonsai debate. It’s just that when you look at some of Masahiko Kimura‘s bonsai, the question seems to arise on its own; his highly refined deadwood-dominant bonsai stand in contrast to what you find in nature. Beyond that, I don’t know if more needs to be said, other than Kimura’s bonsai are truly mind blowing and that there’s no real need to draw lines and take sides.

Kimura’s Garden 2008
Here’s what Owen says about the photos that he posted under the title Kimura’s Garden 2008: “Photos really do not do justice to Kimura-san’s bonsai. The depth and complexity is lost a little in photos.” I second that sentiment. No photo of any bonsai anywhere, ever captures the sheer power that a world class bonsai conveys when you see it in person (come to the 3rd U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition and see for yourself).

Up close.

Taking flight.

This undulating pine is no doubt a little closer to the way it was found in nature than the other trees shown here. In general, Kimura treats pines quite differently that junipers and some others.

This looks like a Hinoki. My semi-educated guess is that Kimura built the rock (you can see how in our book The Magician, the Bonsai Art of Kimura 2).

NEW. Masters’ Series Set of three of our most popular bonsai books. Each one features bonsai step-by-step by Masahiko Kimura (Pine & Junipers feature other artists as well). Each is also available individually.

Take a look. Have you seen this video yet? If you haven’t, or even if you have, take a look. And then sign up for the 3rd U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition.

Simplicity. Here’s another sweet tree from Higurashi Jardinera Creativa. Aside from being something within the reach of us ordinary bonsai enthusiasts, what strikes me about this one is the way the soft somewhat shaggy foliage and the soft somewhat shaggy moss play together.

Like butter. Have you seen our new Stone Lantern-Corex bonsai tools? We sell them and I like them. Though where there’s money involved, hype soon follows, still, I think that these are the best tools for the price that you’ll find anywhere. They look good, they feel good, and they cut like butter.

Goyomatsu. Japanese white pine from the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum’s gallery.

Yellow flowers. You don’t see many bonsai with yellow flowers here in North America. Japan might be another story; Classic Bonsai of Japan features several and this one is from our 2012 Japanese bonsai calendar (sold out). I can’t read the Japanese, but it looks like a Winter hazel (Corylopsis spicata).

More mellow yellow. Speaking of, I think that’s Tyler Sherrod hiding behind some yellow flowers. Tyler is apprenticing with Shiniji Susuki in Japan. You can follow Tyler’s exploits on Tyler Sherrod Bonsai (see photo below). Apologies for the fuzzy photo, It’s from a very small shot on facebook that I couldn’t resist blowing up.

Not your typical backyard. No, this is not a bonsai museum or part of a public exhibition. It’s part of a private collection that belongs to a client of Shinji Suzuki. One of the many excellent photos you’ll find on Tyler Sherrod’s excellent blog.

See you there! In Japan they’ve long had national bonsai exhibitions. Europe has been at it for a while too and now, so have we (this is our third). Don’t miss it. Each one gets better and the last one was great. Register here.

Dangerous deadwood. This Yang ya (Terminalia fontalia) is from the Bonsai of the Week website. I was submitted by Bobi Aricheta. You don’t often see deciduous bonsai with a big hunk of deadwood. Let alone one with two dangerous looking spear points jutting up through the branches.

Assassins. Bonsai Mary (aka Mary Miller) has a good article on beneficial insects. They’re the ones that eat these nasty little critters.

Bonsai obesity. These two drawing are from Colin Lewis’ Rambling of a Bonsai Hermit. Colin invites you to “compare these two sketches, both from great bonsai visionaries: on the left by John Naka, 1980 and on the right, from Sandro Segneri, 2010.” I’ll leave the rest to you and Colin, though I can’t resist taking this opportunity to complain about Colin’s writing; it’s just too good, especially for bonsai writing (no offense intended to rest of us). Fortunately, I’m not given to jealousy…

Mid-Atlantic Bonsai Spring Festival 2012. If you missed it, Bill Valavanis is showing off some of the trees that were exhibited on Internet Bonsai Club. This one is an English yew by Sara Rayner.

BLC is Randy Clark’s Bonsai Learning Center in Charlotte, North Carolina
You can email Randy at randybonsai@carolina.rr.com

The ABS Bonsai Club Directory

ABS New Talent Bonsai Competition

Bonsai Clubs International

Can’t resist all this color. One more photo from the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum.

Robert’s deft touch
If you look at the before and after shots, it’s easy to see that it’s the same tree. The trunk has been leaned slightly to the left, some branches have been lengthened and some shortened, it has a different pot and the placement in the pot has been moved. Nothing very radical, yet the effect is striking; the tree has transformed from simple potential to realization of that potential.

Before. The image that Sumardi submitted to Robert.

Robert’s comments

The focal point
The focal point of this tree is the curve of the trunk. This focal point has good value of interest, but is not well enough explored to create an outstanding bonsai. To the contrary, it imparts a negative effect on the upper part of the trunk, which becomes too vertical and straight. As a consequence the tree has less visual balance, less beauty and less evocation than it could have.

The pot
Judging by the character of the line and the shape of the crown, this tree looks rather feminine, soft and casual, but the shape of the pot with the strong sharp corners is too strong, too masculine for the tree. Consequently, the overall image is less charming than it could be.

Solutions
My solution is to correct the straight vertical line of the trunk by leaning the tree slightly to the left. This creates a nice continuous flow with clear direction. In order to emphasize movement, the right branches are shortened and the left branches are lengthened.

The size of the crown is slightly reduced and opened up, creating more space and reducing the heavy feeling.

Finally, a new pot with rounded corners is used to fit the soft character of the tree. Now, with this new design, I believe that the overall effect is more charming and that a more cheerful mood is the result.

General comments
There is more than one way to design any bonsai and my critiques and recommended solutions might not always fit your taste and personal preferences, but I always try to give my opinion based on artistic and horticultural principles.

To understand my concepts better, please read my books Vision of My Soul and Mission of Transformation which are available at Stone Lantern.

My bonsai blog address : http://robert-steven.ofbonsai.org

Robert’s books

Begging the question
I found the photo above (and the one below) at Tae Kukiwon Bonsai on facebook. The caption says John Pitt Bonsai Ceramics – Hawthorn at its best, so I visited John Pitt’s website to see if I could find it there, which I couldn’t. Then suddenly, a very faint flicker occurred, somewhere in the dark recesses of my aging memory, and I thought to search Bonsai Bark for John Pitt. Sure enough, there it was, almost exactly a year ago to the day, and almost foliage free.

This sweet looking peach bonsai is also from Tae Kukiwon Bonsai. It belong to Ivson R. Filipak, at least that’s what the caption says: “Prunus persica – Proprietário Senhor Ivson R. Filipak. Prunus persica var. nucipersica (nectarina anã) que foi adquirida como pré-bonsai no Bonsai do Campo em Porto Amazonas (PR) de propriedade do amigo Carlos Tramujas. Trabalhei nela 4 ano”

*** for those of you who bothered to read this far, you’ll receive a free Bonsai Aesthetics scissors with your next Stone Lantern order (provided you order by May 31st, 2012). All you have to do is put the following in the comments box with your order “free scissors from Bonsai Bark” and we’ll take care of the rest.