Bougainvillea Bonsai, Before & After

Bougainvillea, before and after. Now you know how Suthin gets those thick trunks on such small bonsai… hint, he cuts older larger plants way back (obviously, there’s more to it than just that, but you have to start somewhere). This works best with tropicals that can handle the stress and have no problem putting out new buds Continuing with Suthin Sukosolvisit’s bonsai (see yesterday’s post). I borrowed these photos from a post we did on some of Suthin’s tropicals back in March 2015 (with some doctoring and rearranging today). To enjoy more of what Suthin is up to, you can visit him on facebook … Continue reading Bougainvillea Bonsai, Before & After

Power, Brilliance and a Sweet Ficus Forest

This Bougainvillea from Wigert’s Bonsai exhibits a striking combination of power and brilliant color. You can visit Wigert’s Bonsai Gallery to see another shot in a different setting. Up against it today, so it’s back to the archives. This one originally appeared April 2011. Continued below…. 25% off Bonsai Fertilizer & Soil Sale ends tonight at 11:59pm EDT Other current Sales at Stone Lantern 20% off Okatsune Bonsai & Garden Tools 20% off Watering Cans & Implements 30% to 40% off Bonsai Today Back Issues an Extra 10% off orders 100.00+ FREE Shipping for U.S. orders 50.00+ Too Little … Continue reading Power, Brilliance and a Sweet Ficus Forest

Late Summer Bonsai Brilliance

Brilliant Bougainvillea from a post titled Welcome Summer! by Salvatore Liporace. I cropped it for a closer look. The original is below. Not only are Bougainvilleas brilliant when flowering, but they are easy to grow. That is if you live in a tropical or subtropical climate. Here in the North, wintering is a challenge, which isn’t that much different than with many other tropical or subtropical bonsai. When it comes to care, two things stand out. Bougs are sun lovers and they don’t like to stay wet for too long. In order for Bougainvilleas to flourish and most importantly to flower, … Continue reading Late Summer Bonsai Brilliance

Brilliant Bonsai & Bougainvillea Bracts

This cheerfully bright Bougainvillea illustrates the principle that, when it comes to flowering bonsai, the tree should be designed and displayed in a way that, first and foremost, shows off the flowers (bracts in this case – see below). Success! For reasons that are easy to understand, we like to show flowering bonsai during these darkest days. The photo shown here is from Bonsaimania; Bonsái del álbum de Virgie Bambilla. We originally featured it in August, 2010. Cropped for a closer look. Did you know that Bougainvillea flowers are really colorful leaves (bracts)? Our 20% to 30% off Site … Continue reading Brilliant Bonsai & Bougainvillea Bracts

Bonsai Under American & African Skies

This Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii subsp. glauca) is one of numerous extraordinary bonsai at Ryan Neil’s Mirai American Bonsai (near Portland, Oregon). It was originally collected in the Rocky mountains by Randy Knight. It’s age is given as 10-250 100-250 years. Height is 36″ (91cm), width 52″ (132cm). Time has a funny way of slipping by while we dither, and it would be a shame if you let the Artisans Cup come and go without signing up and booking your trip to Portland. Before you dither any further or just dismiss the idea altogether, when was the last time you … Continue reading Bonsai Under American & African Skies

Three Ring Bonsai Circus

Luminous Bougainvillea. Yesterday we featured a Buttonwood by Paul Pikel. Today we’ll stay with Paul (while inviting some other Florida artists) and we’ll start with this Bougainvillea at the Epcot (2009). You can read about it and more at Orlando Bonsai. Yesterday and today could be called Paul Pikel day here at Bark. Yesterday we headlined a famous Buttonwood of Paul’s (a better photo is below) and today I borrowed the Three Ring Bonsai Circus title (above) from an article by Paul at Orlando Bonsai. In the course of exploring Paul’s bonsai and his writing, it was a very short … Continue reading Three Ring Bonsai Circus

More Bougainvillea Bonsai but More Elegant & Less Showy this Time

There’s something about a beautiful bonsai in flower. If you let your eyes linger for a few moments, you’ll notice how the seemingly perfectly placed flowers enhance the power of the tree rather than overwhelm it. It’s a bougainvillea by Robert Steven. All this photos in this post are from Robert’s facebook gallery. Yesterday we featured three Bougainvillea Bonsai. The first two were covered with brilliant flowers (actually bracts) and the third was less showy, more like the two you see here. From a purely bonsai perspective, these two are splendid and elegant, with or without flowers, though the flowers … Continue reading More Bougainvillea Bonsai but More Elegant & Less Showy this Time

Boug Bonsai, That Gorgeously Gaudy Wonder Plant

Bougainvilleas can be a little ostentatious, even gaudy at times, and this one just might qualify. Still, ostentatious, gaudy, whatever, this lush combination of flowers, aged character and power is magnificent. The photo is from the Club de Bonsaistas (facebook). Bougs! That gorgeously gaudy semi-tropical wonder plant that seems to grace half the walls of the southern regions of our world. Turns out they make great bonsai too. The power of the trunk rivals the brilliance of the flowers on this one. And then there’s that pot (anybody know anything about it?). I found this on Salvatore Liporace’s facebook … Continue reading Boug Bonsai, That Gorgeously Gaudy Wonder Plant

Who Needs Flowers? Suthin Bonsai Before & Mostly After

After. This Bougainvillea is a uniquely compelling bonsai with or without flowers. Still, it would be nice to see it in full bloom, We’ll keep our eyes open and let you know. All the trees and the photos in this post belong to Suthin Sukosolvisit. Just the other day I wrote that Suthin Sukosolvisit is one of the great American bonsai artists. We could amend that to one of the world’s great bonsai artists. This post and all our numerous other posts featuring Suthin’s bonsai help support this contention. Further support can be found by visiting Suthin on facebook and his … Continue reading Who Needs Flowers? Suthin Bonsai Before & Mostly After

Beasts of the Southern Wild

Beast of the Southern Wild. I don’t know the dimensions of this monster, but I do know its name. It’s a Pithecellobium unguis (Catclaw blackbird), a genus and species completely new to me (and probably new to you too). I also know that this particular bonsai is about as unique as they get with nature doing most of the work and Nacho Marin providing the finishing touches. I surrender. Incessant sub zero temperatures (Fahrenheit folks), snow every other day and now a nasty head cold. But still, it could be worse. In fact, it is worse. In Boston that is, … Continue reading Beasts of the Southern Wild