Backyard Bonsai 14 – “A Little Bit Above Average”

Bird’s eye view of Dan Dolan’s backyard. It’s Monday Monday and I’ve been at work since 7:00am, mostly answering emails and putting out small fires. Given that time is of essence, we’ll get out our tools and dig back into our archival mine. This one, Dan Dolan’s backyard, originally appeared in September, 2015. It fits well with our recently resurrected backyard theme Dan Dolan sent along some of his thoughts on bonsai and bonsai display… “Unlike many enthusiasts who heed the remonstrance of American bonsai masters to acquire only the best material upon which to work…… I take only the least promising … Continue reading Backyard Bonsai 14 – “A Little Bit Above Average”

Brilliant Bavarian Back Yard Bonsai Garden

Harmut Muenchebach’s brilliant Bavarian backyard bonsai garden. It wouldn’t be hard to indulge in a little envy here, but better to just enjoy. Let’s keep going with perhaps the most enchantng Backyard Bonsai Gardens we’ve seen yet. It belongs to Hartmut Muenchenbach of Bavaria. I found the photos on Walter Pall’s timeline titled Jennifer Price at Hartmut Muenchenbach’s. We originally featured it just over a year ago. BONSAI SOIL SPECIAL ENDS SUNDAY 30% off list prices on all Bonsai Soil special ends Sunday, July 1st at 11:59pm EDT – Impressive tree in an impressive garden A closer look at the tree’s details … Continue reading Brilliant Bavarian Back Yard Bonsai Garden

Backyard Bonsai – #15

Bonsai with Koi. This shot is from Kunio Kobayashi’s Shunkaen Bonsai Museum in Tokyo. The concrete display poles are made to look like tree trunks. All but one of the photos in this post are borrowed from Bonsai Empire. Yesterday we featured Kunio Kobayashi’s bonsai, so why not keep going on the same track (more or less… just the first two photos are from his Shunkaen Bonsai Museum)? This post originally appeared in November, 2015. This is the fifthteenth post in our long-standing Backyard Bonsai series. However, if memory serves, this is the first time that we’ve shown commercial gardens … Continue reading Backyard Bonsai – #15

The Original Backyard Bonsai

Trident maple root-over-rock by Wolfgang Putz. From a 2014 Bark post. Yesterday we featured our 15th backyard bonsai post. Today we’ll fall back to our first backyard bonsai post from 2009 (about 1,800 posts ago). This one is from Wolfgang Putz backyard. It turns out that Wolfgang is a bonsai professional, so his backyard is really a bonsai nursery. After this first one, the focus became non-commercial backyards (until yesterday that is, when we showed a mix of commercial and non). This ariel shot shows part of Wolfgang Putz’s back yard bonsai display. Clearly this is a labor of … Continue reading The Original Backyard Bonsai

Inspiration for Backyard Bonsai Displays – #15

Bonsai with Koi. This is what could happen if you have the inspiration, space, time and money to build a pond in your garden. The shot is from Kunio Kobayashi’s Shunkaen Bonsai Museum in Tokyo. The concrete display poles are made to look like tree trunks. This photo and all but one of the others in this post are borrowed from Bonsai Empire. This is the fifthteenth post in our long-standing Backyard Bonsai series. However, if memory serves, this is the first time that we’ve shown commercial gardens that happen to be in backyards as part of the series. In … Continue reading Inspiration for Backyard Bonsai Displays – #15

“A Little Bit Above Average” – Backyard Bonsai 14

Bird’s eye view of Dan Dolan’s backyard. It’s has been a while since we’ve featured a backyard bonsai post (our last one was in 2013). Now, finally, we’ve got another good one for you. The yard and the bonsai, as well as the Japanese influenced landscaping and structures, belong to Dan Dolan. A little bit above average. Dan sent along some of his thoughts on bonsai and bonsai display: “Unlike many enthusiasts who heed the remonstrance of American bonsai masters to acquire only the best material upon which to work…… I take only the least promising and strive to make … Continue reading “A Little Bit Above Average” – Backyard Bonsai 14

Backyard Bonsai 13

A sweet little bonsai workshop surrounded by an attractive display area. This photo and the others in this post are from the Minnesota Bonsai Society website. The exceptional backyard bonsai display shown here is from the Minnesota Bonsai Society website. Unfortunately, the owner of the backyard is a secret for the moment (no name is provided with the photos), though I doubt it will be a secret much longer. In any case, whoever created it is to be applauded. When it comes to structure (the tables and benches, the sweet little workshop and to some extent the landscaping) it has … Continue reading Backyard Bonsai 13

Backyard Bonsai Dream

Backyard Bonsai #12 This is the 12th post in our long and venerable (all the way back to 2009) Backyard Bonsai tradition (here’s the 11th). In their own way, each backyard is uniquely compelling; a reflection of human tastes and lifestyles, and also a reflection of culture. In this case the culture is Italian, which makes it a little romantic for us Americans; we just don’t see backyards and surrounding buildings that look quite like the ones in these photos. Now if the Euro would only come down a bit… Italian Bonsai Dream All but one of the photos in … Continue reading Backyard Bonsai Dream

Backyard Bonsai #11

A slice of John Pitt’s backyard. Nice fence and simple plank on concrete block benches. Continuing a Bark tradition This our 11th Backyard Bonsai post. The first was Wolfgang Putz’ way back in May 2009. Aside from their voyeuristic value, I think these posts might serve as useful examples, or even inspiration for the rest of us. If you’ve been inspired to put together your own backyard display, we’d like to see photos if you get a chance. Mr. Pitt John Pitt is an award winning bonsai potter and bonsai artist who lives in Derbyshire, England. In addition to his … Continue reading Backyard Bonsai #11

Backyard Bonsai #10

This isn’t necessarily the best shot of these gardens. I picked it because I think the mountain in the background gives a good sense of place (somewhere in Italy). Antonio Gesualdi’s Bonsai Garden I found these photos on facebook. They are part of album entitled AIkI BONSAI EN… my Bonsai Garden by Antonio Gesualdi. Though none of the photo are perfect, still, they capture the delights of Antonio’s little piece of bonsai and garden paradise. Our backyard bonsai tradition We’ve been occasionally putting up photos of backyard bonsai displays almost since our beginning, way back in the recesses of time … Continue reading Backyard Bonsai #10