Bonsai in Vietnam

Powerful & Realistic Bonsai Forest

Impressive! I don’t know what the trees are, though they look like conifers, maybe even pines. It would be nice to have a closer look, but beggars can’t be choosey When I first saw caught site of this planting on Quoc Viet Tran‘s timeline, I was immediately struck by how powerful and realistic it is. I wish I could tell you more about it, but no information is provided. I guess we’ll have to settle for simple appreciation of the artist’s mastery Continued below…   NEW 20% OFF ALL BONSAI WIRE Discounts are applied at checkout   Left side, closer up. I … Continue reading Powerful & Realistic Bonsai Forest

Daring Combinations

You don’t see pots this ornate everyday. Our source offers no information on the type tree or the artist. At least in English; what text there is, is Vietnamese. Speaking of, you may not know that Vietnam most likely has more bonsai per capita than any other country. Here’s some evidence from a 2014 Bark post. I found this photo while on my daily Facebook adventure. It was posted by Bonsai Nguyen Van Sau. You don’t see that many ornate or colorful pots in the West or Japan. The aesthetic seems to be one of restraint, where the artist is … Continue reading Daring Combinations

Bonsai on the Rocks

It would be nice to know the size of this powerful Penjing. Experience teaches that these type plantings are often much bigger and more impressive than you can tell with just photos. This masterful work of bonsai art, was posted by our friend and associate Robert Steven. There’s no translation for Robert’s text, so I can’t say much about it, except that it reminds me of the powerful rock mountains that jut out of the water in Viet Nam’s Halong Bay…  and that just seeing these remarkable photos made my day. Continued below… 25% off All Bonsai Books Choose from … Continue reading Bonsai on the Rocks

Year Round Bonsai

Dien Dàn Cây Canh Viet Nam is what the caption says. Both the tree and the language are Vietnamese, even though the photo and the other two in this post are from Indonesian Bonsai. It’s the tree above that caught my attention while scrolling through reams of facebook photos (part of the advantage of having several thousand facebook friends – there are disadvantages too, as you might imagine). Aside from the fact that it’s a dynamic tree with its powerful well-tapered trunk full of texture and movement, three staggered crowns and all the rest, there’s that thought that keeps popping … Continue reading Year Round Bonsai

Some Question Marks

Judging by the background, this photo is from the 2013 BCI convention in China. Robert Steven sent us a bunch of great photos from this convention which we featured a while back (here, here and here). Maybe this is one that we missed. Anyway, I like the voluptuous, free-wheeling, unmanicured look. This photos and the others shown here are from Bonsai Phong. Lately we’ve been inundated with facebook friend requests from Vietnam. By the hundreds. This is in keeping with this statement by Robert Steven (from an earlier Bark post): “The interest in bonsai in Vietnam is amazing and unbelievable. … Continue reading Some Question Marks

Bonsai Events, Dirty Pick Ups and a Few Loose Ends

This pine (looks like a Japanese white; Pinus parviflora) is from the 2011 Taikan-ten bonsai exhibition in Japan. The photo was borrowed from Empire Bonsai. You don’t see that many great multiple-trunk bonsai (here’s another one we posted recently) and I think this one qualifies. It’s hard to tell from this angle if all the trunks are sharing a single root-system. It could be a twin-trunk tree and a triple-trunk clump combined. Upcoming events. It’s time to catch up on some upcoming bonsai events and some other loose ends. Which reminds me, if you’d like to promote an event, just … Continue reading Bonsai Events, Dirty Pick Ups and a Few Loose Ends

Hot Bonsai – Mid Summer Year Round

I like the fluidity of two main trunks and the contrast and depth that the third trunk provides. My only question is; why such a deep pot? Vietnam anyone? All the photos in this post are from a Vietnam Bonsai Tour site. I’m not sure that these photos reflect the most cutting edge (so to speak) bonsai in Vietnam, but they do provide a little glimpse into the art of a tropical hotspot.   Massive trunk, great taper. Do you think it would look better in rounded pot?   Shadow dancing.   A fairly ordinary tropical bonsai in an unusual … Continue reading Hot Bonsai – Mid Summer Year Round