More Kokufu Bonsai, but Still Just Scratching the Surface

Full cascade Shimpaku (Juniperus chinensis Sargentii) at this year’s Kokufu Exhibition. I like the meandering play of the deadwood with the living vein. Something that works especially well with Shimpaku bonsai. This and the other photos in this post are courtesy of Bill Valavanis We’ve got some more of Bill Valavanis’ photos from this year’s Kokufu Exhibition. We’ll just scratch the surface and encourage you to visit Bill’s blog for more great shots Here’s a quote from Bill about the omnipresent Masahiko Kimura (The Magician) and his influence on Kokufu… “I saw Mr. Kimura and asked him how many bonsai … Continue reading More Kokufu Bonsai, but Still Just Scratching the Surface

Bonsai Forest, Bonsai Books, Bonsai Tools, Green T

This striking Sakhalin spruce (Picea Glehnii) forest belongs to Luis Vallejo. Seems like every forth post these days features Luis Vallejo’s trees. This is no accident; Luis consistently puts up great trees that are beautifully photographed. This makes my job easy. As is usually the case, the original photo (just below) came from Luis’ timeline. Huuuge Bonsai Book Special 20% TO 70% OFF LIST PRICES ON ALL BOOKS includes Japanese Garden Books Choose from over 50 Bonsai & Japanese Garden Books and enrich you skills and understanding this special ends Friday, Nov 24 at 11:59pm EST Here’s the original photo, exactly the way we found … Continue reading Bonsai Forest, Bonsai Books, Bonsai Tools, Green T

Sweet Companions

This sweet little planting with its distinctive little pot belongs to Sigrid Brecht. No plant names were provided with any of the photos shown here, so your guess is at least as good as mine These enchanting little gems all belong to Sigrid Brecht. The Japanese name for these plantings is kusamono. However, if you feature them with bonsai, then the term is shitakusa. Or simply companion plant. We don’t usually feature whole posts on companions (or on suiseki for that matter). Based on clicks, most bonsai enthusiasts haven’t developed that much appreciation. But in this case, I couldn’t resist. … Continue reading Sweet Companions

Another Great Bonsai Winner

American Bonsai Society Award winner. Another Colorado Blue Spruce (Picea Pungens). This one belongs to Todd Schlafer. Though it has several noteworthy features, one that might catch your eye is the piece of ‘trunk’ lying across the surface of the soil. I wonder if it was the original trunk that fell over and rooted long ago and that what is now the trunk started its life as a branch. This is of course speculation. What isn’t speculation is the tree’s age, as expressed by the bark and it’s rugged natural beauty. Continuing our journey through the winners of the 5th … Continue reading Another Great Bonsai Winner

The Winners & the Wonderful & Well-Organized Chaos & Delights of the Artisans Cup

The winner (captured by my cellphone camera amidst the push and pull of ten thousand museum visitors). It’s a Rocky mountain juniper that belongs to Randy Knight. Up early to catch a plane and still reeling from the wonderful and well organized chaos and delights of the Cup. The people, the venue, Portland, old friends. And of course the truly amazing bonsai. I’ll apologize up front for any mistakes in attribution and failures to link. I haven’t had time to begin to sort through the hundreds of photos of trees people and places, but we have start somewhere and that … Continue reading The Winners & the Wonderful & Well-Organized Chaos & Delights of the Artisans Cup

National Bonsai Exhibition Video

3rd U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition video by BonsaiInBuffalo.com Bill Valanvanis just posted an excellent new video by BonsaiInBuffalo.com. You can purchase the DVD at International Bonsai. You can also view it on YouTube. Bon appetit! I captured a few shots from the video to give you a small taste and perhaps whet your appetite for more. Jim Doyle’s Eastern White Cedar. That’s Bill on the left. Yasuo Mitsuya, one of the three judges, is the gentleman in the center toward the back. Marty Schmallenberg’s Elm. Vendor’s area. Stone Lantern is the red and blue … Continue reading National Bonsai Exhibition Video

Two Bonsai Firsts (at least)

A formal upright collected European olive? I’ve seen a lot of magnificent collected European olives, but I’m not sure I’ve ever seen any as perfectly shaped and stupendously gnarled at the same time. The artist is Gabriel Romero Aguade. Noelanders Trophy 2012 The four trees shown here are all from the 13th Noelanders Trophy Exhibition, which was held in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium, way back in January. I borrowed the images from Bonsai – Living Art, the English version of the Slovenski blog (I recommend a visit, it’s a great bonsai blog, one of the best). A couple firsts I don’t know … Continue reading Two Bonsai Firsts (at least)

A Cozy Companion

I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen a potted companion sitting on the soil surface of a larger bonsai. I found the photo on facebook (unattributed, which seems to be a norm). I think the companion is a Mondo grass. Is the tree a Serissa? Just a quickie this time I’m still trying to catch up between vacations, so we’ll have to settle for a one tree post. Next time we’ll give you a little more to sink your teeth into.

At Bonsai’s Edge

Mosses etc in a stone container. All the photos in this post are from Moss and Stone Gardens. If it’s in a bonsai pot You can plant almost anything in a bonsai pot. If it’s woody, you can call it a bonsai. If it’s not, you can call it a companion or accent plant; a planting that’s designed to enhance a bonsai display. Or it could be designed to stand on its own, in which case you can call it a kusamono (for more on this, you can check out Willi Benz’ Bonsai, Kusamono, Suiseki, or this earlier post). No … Continue reading At Bonsai’s Edge