Celebrating Forty Years of Bonsai

This sweet Japanese black pine with its thinned and reduced needles and its gnarled old trunk jumps right off the page. The luminous pot and the way it accentuates the color of the tree’s bark doesn’t hurt either. Together they provide a study in simplicity and attention to detail. It belongs to Michael (of Michael Bonsai). Here’s his caption… “Ready for the 40th Midwest Bonsai Show. My kengai kuromatsu. Japanese Black Pine. – Come visit the show next weekend August 18th – 20th at the Chicago Botanic Garden.” I’ve been a fan of Michael Bonsai for a long time, and he’s been a … Continue reading Celebrating Forty Years of Bonsai

Meandering Myrtles

Here’s the copy from our source (a Bark post last November titled Meandering Lines)… “This Myrtle (Myrtus communis) belongs to Andrea Albergo. The pot is by Greg Ceramics and the photo is by Harry Harrington. I chose it for the lead tree for several reasons; I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a Myrtle with such a massive trunk (turns out I had), deadwood on most non-conifers isn’t all that common (though becoming more common) and I like the loose abstract meandering lines of the deadwood and living veins.” Yesterday we feature a very muscular Myrtle (Myrtus communis) for your viewing … Continue reading Meandering Myrtles

Muscular Bonsai – Muscular Tools

Old European olives are often full of character as well as muscle, and this one is no exception. I believe the tree belongs to Luis Vallejo, though I couldn’t find evidence on his website. Taking some time to work outside today, so we’ll resurrect an old favorite from our archives. While we’re at, we’ll give a nod to our powerful Green T Turntables. There’s something compelling about bonsai with powerful trunks. Assuming that I’m not the only one so compelled, below are three more very sturdy bonsai and one very sturdy turntable for your enjoyment. Wire Special Ends Sunday at … Continue reading Muscular Bonsai – Muscular Tools

More North American Bonsai Excellence

Winner of the Creative Award at the 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition. The tree is a Dwarf Japanese garden juniper (Juniperus procumbens ‘Nana’) and the artist is Creighton Bostrom. The photo is by Joe Noga, as are all the photos in the 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition Album To continue where we left off yesterday… we just got our new 2017 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition Album and it’s the best yet. We’ll show two more photos here and leave the rest up to you Time to Stock Up on Bonsai Wire 1 Kilo (2.2 lb) Bonsai Wire now … Continue reading More North American Bonsai Excellence

North American Bonsai Excellence – The 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition Album Is Here!

Winner of the Finest Bonsai Masterpiece at the 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition. It’s a Mountain Hemlock (Tsuga Mertensiana) that belongs to Eric Schikowski. The photo is by Joseph Noga as are all the photos in Exhibition Albums 2-5. Every two years we get a jolt of bonsai excitement when our copies of the latest U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition Album arrives. This time it’s the 5th Album, and it’s the best yet. This should come as no surprise, bonsai is still relatively new in North America (and much of the world) so steady improvement is to be expected. However, given … Continue reading North American Bonsai Excellence – The 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition Album Is Here!

Nothing but Eat, Sleep and Bonsai

In Jeremiah Lee’s own words … “Here are a couple trees that Juan recently worked on. I got to see him clean up and style this bad ass twisty Shimpaku.” From Jeremiah’s two week apprenticeship at Aichi-En Bonsai Nursery. Juan is Juan Andrade, a now well-known international bonsai artist. This and the other photos in this post are by Jeremiah. Today is Honeydew day. Time is short and getting shorter, so it’s back to our archives. This one, from January 2015, features the bonsai of Juan Andrade (yesterday’s artist) I’ve been a fan of Jeremiah Lee’s Yenling Bonsai blog for … Continue reading Nothing but Eat, Sleep and Bonsai

Florida Cracker – Before & After

This Buttonwood is just a tad more eccentric than your average bonsai. Juan Andrade posted this and some other photos of this tree a while back. Here’s his caption “Florida Cracker”, ain’t it? Sourced @ Olicata Bonsai Studio last year. Thank you Hiram!”* Today I set out to find a something that Juan Andrade wrote about four types of bonsai nurseries. Sadly, I failed in my quest (not defeated, just postponed), but I did find the photos shown here on Juan’s timeline and couldn’t resist. And if you’d like to get back to this tree’s source, you can visit Olicata … Continue reading Florida Cracker – Before & After

Pine Bonsai – A Less Common Cousin

This handsome cork bark (see corrections below*) Japanese red pine, with its deeply grooved bark tells a story of age and beauty. The artist is Enrico Savini. If someone asked you to name two Japanese pines, you’d probably answer, Japanese black pine and Japanese white pine. This would make sense as most of the Japanese pine bonsai you see are Black or White. However, there is another important Japanese pine. It’s the Japanese red pine (Pinus densiflora). One reason you might not think of the Red pine is that it is less common than the Black or White pine and, … Continue reading Pine Bonsai – A Less Common Cousin

A Little Bonsai Love on Hot Summer Days

I borrowed this distinctive two-headed Shimpaku from Micheal Hagedorn’s Portfolio on Crataegus Bonsai. Specifically from the section titled Bonsai Work in Japan (see Post Dated below) The text below is from a 2010 post we borrowed from Michael Hagedorn on summer misting. In addition being a highly accomplished bonsai artist, Michael is a great teacher, with a wealth of bonsai knowledge almost unrivaled in the West. If you’d like to learn more than you ever imagined about bonsai, you’d be well served to visit Michael’s Crataegus Bonsai. Continued below… NEW BONSAI TOOL SPECIAL 30% to 50% off Yoshiaki Hand Tools … Continue reading A Little Bonsai Love on Hot Summer Days

Master Bonsai Potter Gyozan Nakano

I don’t know who styled this wild looking azalea (I don’t read Japanese) but I do know that Master Potter Gyozan Nakano made the pot. Here’s an old one from our archives (July, 2009) that I like. I’ve done a little editing – mostly cringe reduction – but the photos and most of the text are the same. A few years ago I was given a remarkable book by the World Bonsai Friendship Federation, who had received it courtesy of Masahiro Tokuo (President of Kindai Publishing). Since then, it has spent most of its time sitting on my shelf, though … Continue reading Master Bonsai Potter Gyozan Nakano