The Best American Bonsai & Other Compelling Reasons to Wake up in Rochester

This twisty bunjin style collected Buttonwood (Conocarpus erectus) shows what can happen when a tenacious tree hangs onto a Florida shoreline that is ravaged by repeated tropical storms and occasional hurricanes. It belongs to Doug Hawley who has been refining this tree for about ten years (this was written in 2009). Height 28″ Pot by Sara Rayner To whet your bonsai appetites, I’ve decided to devote all our posts between now the 6th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition to North American Bonsai We’ll start with three photos which were originally from a book titled North American Bonsai* (out of print), that we originally featured in a post … Continue reading The Best American Bonsai & Other Compelling Reasons to Wake up in Rochester

A Rare & Wonderful Bunjin Bonsai

This Eastern white pine (Pinus Strobus) was donated to the Chicago Botanic Garden by Jim Doyle (Nature’s Way Nursery). The photo is by Steve Moore (Bonsai in Hoosierland). Common but very uncommon There are three things that I find striking about this tree: first, it’s an Eastern white pine, a tree that you almost never see as a bonsai, even though it’s quite common here in the Northeast. Second, it’s skinny but old (the bark gives it away). Another rarity when it comes to Eastern white pines. Third, it’s a good bunjin bonsai, healthy and understated, with just enough graceful … Continue reading A Rare & Wonderful Bunjin Bonsai