So Fine & Just a Tad Controversial

Japanese maple from Seiko-en Bonsai Garden in Omiya Village, Japan. From Fine Bonsai. Art and Nature. Value added It’s time to resurrect another favorite from our illustrious past. This time with some value added in the form of a few new words and three new photos (including the one above). First the new words: Fine Bonsai is a tad controversial. Some people give it a big shrug (or worse), while some others (like me) are very enthusiastic. I think the shrugs may miss the point. This is not a tradition bonsai art book. Rather, it’s a photographic art book, with … Continue reading So Fine & Just a Tad Controversial

NEW Bonsai Book

Finally! A new Tropical Bonsai book. By Pedro Morales, long-time professional bonsai grower, teacher and author. If you live in the tropics or sub-tropics (much of Florida and southern California are sub-tropical), then you can enjoy a whole range of trees that the rest of us can enjoy only if we own a greenhouse, or if we have enough light (natural or artificial or both) and other positive conditions for growing indoor plants (good air circulation and some humidity don’t hurt). The best way to do this is to keep your tropical trees outdoors when temperatures allow and bring them … Continue reading NEW Bonsai Book

Extreme Beauty

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 … Continue reading Extreme Beauty

Our Pine Book Is Here – Finally!

One of dozens of world class trees featured in our pine book. Which, by-the-way has just arrived. Better late than never. A little gift for those of you who have been waiting It ain’t much, but we’d like to offer each of you who pre-ordered our Pine book (before July 1st) a $5.00 discount on your next order. Just put in the comments that you pre-ordered our Pine book. Your discount won’t show up when you check out, but we’ll adjust it on this end. Meanwhile, thank you for your patience and understanding. It’s been a long strange journey (see … Continue reading Our Pine Book Is Here – Finally!

Mixed Maple Forest

This playful mixed Japanese bonsai forest is by Juan José Bueno Gil. Rare indeed You don’t see too many mixed bonsai forests, and my guess is that you’ve never seen one with this many varieties (above). They may all be the same species for sure (Acer palmatum), but they aren’t all the same. How many varieties can you count? We’ve shown this mixed forest in Bonsai Bark before. It’s one of my favorites (though it would be nice if the photo were larger). It’s from Saburo Kato’s Forest, Rock Planting & Ezo Spruce Bonsai (published by The National Bonsai Foundation … Continue reading Mixed Maple Forest

Three Monster Satsuki Bonsai

A prize winning Satsuki azalea from Bonsai -Matsuda Seishoen displaying it power, balance and tranquility. A rare and wonderful trunk The trunk on this Satsuki azalea (above) is near perfection; heavy and powerful with great texture, color and a well balanced yet completely natural looking nebari that adds stability with the way its fingers clutch the soil (okay, okay, getting a little carried away, but still…). Japanese style Some people say that Japanese bonsai are often overly stylized. If you are of that opinion, then you might think that the foliage pads on this tree are too neatly trimmed and … Continue reading Three Monster Satsuki Bonsai

Classic Flowering Bonsai of Japan

Japanese apricot (Latin-Prunus mume: Japanese-Ume). From Classic Bonsai of Japan (Nippon Bonsai Association). My apologies for cutting off the bottom of the pot; my scanner couldn’t quite fit the whole photo. Japan and flowering bonsai The Japanese have long revered flowering trees and flowering bonsai. So much so, that they often overlook what you might consider design flaws with flowering bonsai (though not the case with the photos shown here). The book: Classic Bonsai of Japan This grand old book remains the standard when it comes to Japanese bonsai before 1989. Though much has happened in the bonsai world since … Continue reading Classic Flowering Bonsai of Japan

Now Back (It’s No Secret)

Bonsai Secrets by Peter Chan is back in print, new cover, excellent contents, and all. Perfect for beginning to intermediate enthusiasts Bonsai Secrets covers pretty much all of the ground you would expect in a beginner’s book, as well as some more advanced ground (well, advanced from the beginner’s point of view), like: creating good taper, field-growing techniques, rock planting, displaying and exhibiting, creating jin & shari, air-layering, wabi sabi in bonsai design and more. And the timing is perfect Beginner’s books have been dropping like the oak leaves that cover my front yard. Simon & Schuster is gone, Pocket … Continue reading Now Back (It’s No Secret)

Our Summer Sale Ends Thursday Morning

Our Okatsune bonsai shear. This is my favorite bonsai shear. In fact, I think it’s the best bonsai shear in the world (short of individually hand made $500 and up Japanese shears). New shipment of tools from Japan due in next week We are running out of many of our tools, but a new supply is due in next week. Order now and take advantage of our Site Wide Summer Sale, and as soon as they arrive, yours will be on its way. I’ve seen most of the photos and much of the text, and I will stake my reputation … Continue reading Our Summer Sale Ends Thursday Morning