I found this unusual little gem in Shohin Bonsai Europe’s Guest Gallery. It’s by Tedy Boy (that’s what it says) of Indonesia. The crown and the rest of the foliage seem to be almost disembodied, like floating in space. I think that’s because you can’t see where it attaches to the trunk. To add to the eccentric flavor, the background and funky plastic stand (upside down tub?) are pink. It’s not everyday you see a bonsai with a pink stand shot against a pink background. BTW: it’s a Phemna microphylla.

Unusual: good
Some of the the trees we show in our eccentric bonsai posts are mostly just unusual. Some are unusual and are also very high quality bonsai. Any thoughts about where this one fits in on the spectrum?

Pirates: bad
Bonsai Bark belongs to Stone Lantern (DBA Stone Lantern Discoveries Inc) and to me, Wayne Schoech (that’s pronounced Shay if anyone is interested). If this (or any of our posts) appears anywhere other than under the Bonsai Bark heading and is not attributed to Bonsai Bark or to me, then it has been pirated.

Keep ‘em coming
We still need at least two more to make our minimum (I had to reject two that were just photos of trees).  So ga’head and send us yours. Really!

Contest details here

Pirates
At least one blog has been pirating our posts, lock stock and barrel; but without our links and without any attribution to bonsai bark, or Stone Lantern. If you are reading this on any website or blog that is not ours, and is not attributed to us, then it has been pirated. Please visit us at bonsaibark.com. Thank you.

Bristlecone teapot, by Mike Viljak. Here’s what Mike has to say about it:  “Attached is a photo of a bristlecone-inspired teapot I made out of porcelain. The outside is glazed in raw wood ash, but fired in a gas kiln. The base is made of local clay I collected. When doing both ceramic art and bonsai, the two tend to inform each other in lots of ways.”

There’s still time for you to enter
But don’t wait too long. Entries are coming in at a brisk pace, so we’ll probably close the contest pretty soon (my best guess is about a week). Here are the details on how to enter. Most people are writing short statements about their entries. You might want to do it too.

Shimpaku foliage grafted onto a California juniper by Roy Nagatoshi. All of the photos in this post are by Dale Berman. They originally appeared in Bonsai Today issue 108 in an article by Marcus Juniel.

Shimpaku foliage on California junipers
California juniper foliage is heavy and somewhat coarse (I think it looks fine on native stock, but Shimpaku foliage is beautiful and looks even better) and many bonsai artist opt to graft on Shimpaku foliage.

Approach graft. The Shimpaku (scion) still has it roots in soil when it is joined with the stock. Once the graft has taken, it is cut off from its roots in a place and way that best hides the graft so that no (or almost no) traces of the procedure show. How this is done is a big part of the skill involved in grafting bonsai. This sketch and the one below are also from Bonsai Today issue 108.

One of Roy’s approach grafts in process. The top of the small Shimpaku in the plastic pot is being grafted onto a large California juniper. When the graft has taken, the part of the Shimpaku below the graft will be removed. It will still be alive and can be grown on for future use as a bonsai or as another scion.

Roy Nagatoshi
I first met Roy Nagatoshi sometime in the 1980 at he and his father’s (Mr Shigeru Nagatoshi) Fuji Bonsai Nursery in Sylmar, California (home of row after row of some of the most massive bonsai you’ll ever see). At the time Mr Nagatoshi senior was still actively running things and Roy seemed to be keeping a fairly low profile. Later, when I visited a couple times in the 90s, things were shifting. Roy was clearly in charge, and his father seemed to be stepping back (Shigeru Nagatoshi died in 2000). Now Roy is fully in charge and as his skills continue to develop, so does his fame; both as a preeminent bonsai artist as as a popular bonsai teacher.

Whip graft (also called tongue or splice graft). Unlike the approach graft, the scion doesn’t have roots to support it while the graft is taking, so you need to provide humidity to keep it alive. A humid greenhouse helps, but the most common method is to use a plastic sleeve with a damp medium (eg sphagnum) inside.

Some tools Roy uses for grafting. Photo by Dale Berman.

Shimpaku foliage on San Jose junipers
Grafting Master Mas Ishii first introduced me to grafting Shimpaku foliage onto San Jose juniper stock. He said that San Jose stock grows better than Shimpuku in North America (or at least under his local conditions – his nursery Chikugo-en is in Los Angeles), but that Shimpaku foliage is much more beautiful (and touchable) than San Jose foliage, and is easy to graft. For more on this topic and Mas Ishii, there’s and excellent article by Lew Buller in Bonsai Today issue 75 (Lew is the author of Saikei and Art; the only English language Saikei bonsai book).

Jimmy Le sent this entry in. He didn’t say anything about the medium or really anything at all, except “Here’s my entry Wayne.” If there’s anything else you’d like to say Jimmy, please don’t hesitate. Update: Jimmy just sent this (3/10/10): “I didn’t realize i needed to email a description as well, but this sketch was done while I was sitting in class, I was inspired to draw this because of a Hollywood Juniper i saw at Bonsai West in Littleton Massachusetts.”

Our $100.00 Bonsai Art Contest
Back in mid-February we started yet another contest. This one has generous prizes; generous enough to maybe motivate you to enter (see below). Check out the details here and give it a try. You’ve got nothing to lose.

The prizes
First prize is a $60 gift certificate to Stone Lantern. Second prize $30 gift certificate. Third prize $10 gift certificate.

Here’s Ken To’s entry. And here’s what Ken has to say about it: “Here is my entry for the art contest.  This is a wire bonsai sculpture made entirely from 24 gauge wire.  It’s planted in a high quality Japanese mame bonsai pot.  I made this as a surprise present for my wife on Valentine’s day.  Just in time for the contest! “

Our $100.00 Bonsai Art Contest
Back in mid-February we started yet another contest. This one has generous prizes; generous enough to maybe motivate you to enter (see below). Check out the details here and give it a try. You’ve got nothing to lose.

Why is this the second entry?
Because the first one is Frank Kelly’s drawing that we used to kick off the contest.

We’ve got more
We’ve already received several more entries that we will feature over the next few days. We’ll wrap it up when we get our quota (at least ten, maybe a few more depending how fast and furious they are coming in); so don’t wait!

Our generous prizes
First prize is a $60 gift certificate to Stone Lantern. Second prize $30 gift certificate. Third prize $10 gift certificate.

Identify this tree and win
Be the first to tell us what kind of tree this is, and who the artist is, and we will give you a $25.00 gift certificate to Stone Lantern. You can post your answers in the comments below.

We haven’t forgotten our other contest
Though we haven’t done anything about it yet (I’m still traveling), we have received several entries to our $100 Bonsai Art Contest. We’ll start posting entries when we get back next week. Meanwhile, don’t be shy; send us your entry.

We got a big tool sale going on at Stone Lantern. And it’s not just bonsai tools that we offer. We also have Japanese gardening tools, as well as ikebana tools. Check it out.

Old Rosemary plants abound in Europe, so you’d expect to see some pretty good old Rosemary bonsai, and this semi-cacade certainly qualifies. It doesn’t hurt that it’s in a very cool pot. This photo is from Bonsai Today issue 85. Unfortunately, I don’t have the artist’s name with me (I’m traveling) so I can’t attribute. Anyone out there know?

Still on the road (thus the movable part of the title)
I’m still traveling so thought I’d just pluck this European gallery out of one of the folders I have on my desktop for just such occasions. Unfortunately, I can’t attribute because I don’t have access to the artist’s names. Maybe you can help.

This twisty Shimpaku forest reminds me of Point Lobos (from the last time I was on the road). Like the one above, and the ones below, it’s from Bonsai Today issue 85.

This strange and wonderful little Mugo pine has an unusual shape and might qualify as one of our eccentric bonsai (if you check some of our previous posts, you’ll see that that’s not necessarily an insult).

Speaking of slabs (check our post before last), and last but not least; a multi-hued European hornbeam planting.