Shimpaku foliage grafted onto a California juniper by Roy Nagatoshi. All of the photos in this post are by Dale Berman. They originally appeared in Bonsai Today issue 108 in an article by Marcus Juniel.
Shimpaku foliage on California junipers
California juniper foliage is heavy and somewhat coarse (I think it looks fine on native stock, but Shimpaku foliage is beautiful and looks even better) and many bonsai artist opt to graft on Shimpaku foliage.
Approach graft. The Shimpaku (scion) still has it roots in soil when it is joined with the stock. Once the graft has taken, it is cut off from its roots in a place and way that best hides the graft so that no (or almost no) traces of the procedure show. How this is done is a big part of the skill involved in grafting bonsai. This sketch and the one below are also from Bonsai Today issue 108.
Continue reading ‘Roy Nagatoshi Grafts Shimpaku Branches and Foliage onto a California Juniper’
This California juniper was awarded the Best in Show 2009 at the Midori Bonsai Club’s 40th annual show. It belongs to Peter Tea and comes to us via Bonsai Tonight (a great name for blog that lives up to it). The photo was taken by Jonas Dupuich, Bonsai Tonight’s author.
A tree with a story
In addition to the strikingly unusual section of deadwood that looks like it’s leaning against the trunk, this remarkable tree has its own story that involves some bonsai luminaries (Boon and Michael Hagedorn for instance), Boon’s backyard, styling questions and more. Check it out if you have time. Be careful though; you might get so taken in by what Jonas is up to, that you forget to come back here where you started.
Here’s another shot of the man and the tree. Both are very impressive in their own way, though neither provided much mystery, at least for those of you who responded. BTW: here’s where we borrowed this photo and the photo that appears in contest #4.
The winner…
… is John Callaway. John wasn’t the only one to get it right, but he was the first one to get it right.
The man…
…is Mr. California Juniper, Harry Hirao.
The tree…
…is (appropriately) a California juniper. The botanical name is Juniperus californica.
And the source…
…is Kofu Review; Kofu Bonsai Kai. Check it out, it’s a great site.
Continue reading ‘Contest #4: Winner, Answer, Link & More’
This Scot’s pine (Pinus sylvestris) by Walter Pall is from the cover of Bonsai Today issue 104. It was presented by Walter as an example of a naturalistic bonsai.
“… too many of these bonsai look like they are made of plastic…”
The whole quote, which was written by Walter Pall, and appears in Bonsai Today issue 104, goes like this: “I have seen that the trend in styling is toward more and more refinement, which often takes away all the naturalness. I find that too many of these bonsai look like they are made of plastic and are not real.”
You be the judge
To my eyes, Walter Pall’s Scot’s pine is a wonderful bonsai. That’s why we chose it for the cover of Bonsai Today. But we’ve also featured some much more stylized and refined trees for covers; trees that we like. Are these trees overly refined and plastic looking?
Continue reading ‘The Great Debate part 2: You Be the Judge’
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