Bonsai gallery

Modern Bonsai Practice

The cover of a brand new and up-to-date bonsai book by Larry Morton that features the latest in bonsai horticultural practices and a bonus gallery of 165 photos of some of Walter Pall’s best bonsai. Walter Pall has been advocating applying modern horticultural knowledge and techniques to our bonsai, rather than relying only on what has been passed down through the generations. This can be accomplished without disregarding the wisdom of the old ways while paying close attention to what science now knows about growing plants. With a mind open to the latest knowledge and a willingness to experiment, you … Continue reading Modern Bonsai Practice

A Congenial Way to Start Your Day

Aside from the very distinctive shari and jin (two types of deadwood), there are a couple other things about this Japanese white pine that you may have already noticed. First it seems somewhat top-heavy, and second, this top-heavy quality is exaggerated by the pot, which is quite small relative to the size of the tree. Still, amazingly it works quite well. Even better than quite well. The bonsai shown here are all from a gallery in Bonsai Today issue 96. Reminds me of the older galleries from the very earliest Bonsai Todays. How important they were back in the dark … Continue reading A Congenial Way to Start Your Day

Attention Bonsai Detectives: $250 Mystery Contest

Tree number one Here’s what you have to do Tell me something about each tree. The more accurate the information you give, the better your chances are. The two most obvious pieces of information you can provide are: who the artist is and what kind of tree it is. Or maybe you know something about the pot. Another useful piece of information is where you found the tree (that way I can verify the ones I don’t know). Really anything you know about the trees. What you’ll win First place: The person who give the most accurate information on the … Continue reading Attention Bonsai Detectives: $250 Mystery Contest

Bonsai Gallery: Five Magnificent Trees

Forest on a slab from Bonsai Today issue 23. Though the photo is uncaptioned it looks like it could be an Ezo spruce forest by Saburo Kato. Slant style Japanese maple in fall color. From Bonsai Today issue 14. Artist unknown. This is one of a handful of outstanding Japanese winterberries (Ilex serrata) that pop up here and there in Bonsai Today. It’s from issue 14 (it appears on both the cover and inside, though with different backgrounds). Artist unknown. Trident maple forest from Bonsai Today issue 14. I counted 29 trees, though it’s difficult (if not impossible) to tell … Continue reading Bonsai Gallery: Five Magnificent Trees

Slow Motion Gallery

I’m pretty sure this is an Ume (Japanese flowering apricot), though I can’t be %100 sure. Whatever it is, it sure combines some very showy flowers with impressively ancient looking bark. It’s from a Japanese book (not available in English) called Gyozan Nakano, Sakai: A 35 Year Anthology. Mr. Nakano is a rather famous (in Japan) Master Potter (this is not the first time we’ve featured him). Most of the book is devoted to his pots sans trees. However, there are a few in the back with trees. This is one of them. Slow motion gallery In this case, slow … Continue reading Slow Motion Gallery

Three Bonsai Masterpieces

This full cascade Japanese Katsura tree Kadsura vine is from Bonsai Today issue 5. Its overall height (not including the stand) is 31 inches (79 cm). Bonsai Galleries During its heyday, Bonsai Today magazine was known for its excellent how-to articles by Japanese and other masters, and for its  world class bonsai galleries. The three trees featured here are from long out-of-print issues, and present just a very small taste of what lies beneath the covers of Bonsai Today.

A Powerful No Name Bonsai Gallery

Have you ever seen a trunk quite like this? A Kimura yew that we posted a while back has some gaps, but this one has more space than trunk. It’d be good to see the tree close up to better understand exactly what the artist (who he or she is, is a mystery to us) did and how the pieces come together somewhere around mid-tree. We found this and the rest of the photos in this post on Bonsai4me. It’s originally from Noelanders Trophy VII. All the photos are by Hans Vleugels of Belgium. Missing artists We’ve seen lots of … Continue reading A Powerful No Name Bonsai Gallery

A Moveable Feast European Style

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 … Continue reading A Moveable Feast European Style

Bonsai Down Under: Aussie Natives

Acacia longifolia. So sweet. The leaves are a little big, but that’s the nature of the plant. Otherwise, this bonsai has it all: gnarly aged trunk with a little see-though action and excellent fluid movement. Nice jin. Perfect pot. Great tree! Australian Native Plants as Bonsai I found this tree, the one below, and numerous others on the Australian National Botanic Garden site in a section entitled Australian Native Plants as Bonsai. Some are quite unusual, at least to those of us living up over. I couldn’t find the artists’ names anywhere on the site. Maybe someone out there knows. … Continue reading Bonsai Down Under: Aussie Natives