Micheal Hagedorn’s Respect for the Natural Way (& Newly Upgraded Website)

This shot is from the portfolio on Michael Hagedorn’s recently upgraded Crataegus Bonsai website. I’m too busy now to try search out the varieties (I couldn’t find them in his portfolio), but I could guess that this one is a Rocky Mountain juniper, though I wouldn’t carve that in stone. The thing that I really like about Michael Hagedorn’s bonsai is the respect he shows for the natural way of bonsai, by allowing each tree to speak for itself. And very skillfully too, with an equal respect for bonsai technique. If you know Michael’s bonsai, you already know what I … Continue reading Micheal Hagedorn’s Respect for the Natural Way (& Newly Upgraded Website)

Bonsai Beautyberry & Other Little Gems

This brilliant little Japanese beautyberry (Callicarpa japonica) is well named indeed (it’s nice when the name of a plant says something about how the plant looks; an onamonapia of sight). I found this photo on Bonsai Empire They attribute it to AR&B*, but I think AR&B picked it up somewhere else and failed to attribute. Looking at the tree, I’m almost certain that it’s a Japanese bonsai. The rest of the photos in this post are from an old Bark post called Luminous Fruit. The artist is Katsumi Komiya. If you’ve ever tried to grow fruiting bonsai, you know that … Continue reading Bonsai Beautyberry & Other Little Gems

Tea, Poetry & Flowering Bonsai

Ume (Prunus mume) flowers. Once again we find ourselves borrowing from Peter Tea. This photo and the next three photos shown here are from a post of Peter’s that provides a sweet moment’s glimpse into a small private bonsai show. Something you don’t see everyday. Can’t go too long without borrowing from our archives (and indulging our passion for flowers). This one is from March 2013. At that time Galway Kinnell was still alive and writing and reading his poetry. I had the pleasure of meeting him at a poetry reading couple years ago through a good friend who was … Continue reading Tea, Poetry & Flowering Bonsai

What if you woke up on September 25th and realized that you’re not at the Artisans Cup?

You know there has to be a living vein somewhere, but it must be hidden behind all that impressive deadwood. The crown belongs to a Shimpaku juniper that was grafted onto a collected Rocky Mountain juniper. The tree belongs to Michael Hagedorn (an Artisans Cup prime mover), as do all the trees (and boots) shown here. What if you woke up on September 25th and realized that you’re not at the Artisans Cup and it’s too late to get there? Your friends are there and some of the best bonsai in North America are there, but not you. Sadly, you’ll … Continue reading What if you woke up on September 25th and realized that you’re not at the Artisans Cup?

Playing It Cool

This freshly defoliated monster Trident maple was just posted on facebook by Juan Andrade, who happens to be the guilty party (see below). We’ve featured Juan here on Bark several times. My best guess is this won’t be last time either. Two monsters. The only thing the connects these two trees, at least as far as I know, is that they are both remarkably large. And very cool too. Two things jump right out about the Trident maple above: its remarkably massive trunk, the base of which almost fills the entire pot, and its most excellent taper (good movement too … Continue reading Playing It Cool

Making an Apex Look Like an Apex

After. Compacting the apex of a Japanese white pine. Borrowed without permission from our friend and teacher, Michael Hagedorn (can you really borrow something without permission?). The before photo is below. It has been a while since we plundered from Crataegus. It’s the before and after apex that caught my attention (the other photos are just for the fun of it). Reason being, that for many of us, figuring out how to make an apex look like an apex is no mean feat. Maybe this will help. A little slice of Crataegus Bonsai. Those doors lead into Michael’s spacious … Continue reading Making an Apex Look Like an Apex

Artisans Cup Postponed

This Rocky Mountain juniper (Juniperus scopulorum) belongs to Ryan Neil. The photo is from Ryan’s International Bonsai Mirai website. A guest’s guest post. The following is from Michael Hagedorns Crataegus Bonsai blog. Artisans Cup postponed until September 2015 This is a guest post by Ryan Neil. I am in full support of his words here: Over the past fourteen months of research and planning the potential of the Artisans Cup has been a driving force in our bonsai community to grow and improve the level of our trees. The enthusiastic response of the entire Western bonsai world fueled our ambition and … Continue reading Artisans Cup Postponed

Tea Flowers

Ume (Prunus mume) flowers. Once again we find ourselves borrowing from Peter Tea. This photo and the next three photos shown here are from a post that Peter just put up that provides a sweet moment’s glimpse into a small private bonsai show. Something you just don’t see everyday. “The last memory I have Is of a flower that cannot be touched…” Excerpt from Flower Herding on Mount Monadnock, From A New Selected Poems by Galway Kinnell (Mariner Books). ‘Boke’ flowering quince (Chaenomeles speciosa). This photo (also by Peter Tea) provides a peek at a piece of one of … Continue reading Tea Flowers