A Lifetime of Bonsai Inspiration

This convoluted Buttonwood (Conocarpus erectus) belongs to Ed Trout of Pembroke Pines Florida. The container is by Sonny Boggs. The photo is from the 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition Album. We always have an eye out for unique, high quality bonsai and this one certainly qualifies. A little over two weeks ago we received our copies of the 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition Album. Since then, I’ve tried to spend a few minutes each day thumbing through and allowing myself to re-experience the initial jolt of excitement from that first day. Now it’s your turn. But we don’t want to spoil … Continue reading A Lifetime of Bonsai Inspiration

Mystical Dragon and other American Tropical Jewels

Rugged dynamic deadwood. It’s a Buttonwood by Robert Kempinski from his Mahogany Row Studio. Today is our last full day of an all too short Florida Keys’ vacation. Tomorrow it’s back to the freezing North. Before we pull on our long pants and head out, this seems like a good time to take a look at some Florida Buttonwoods, our American tropical jewel. The photos shown here and some of the text appeared almost exactly one year ago today. One of many Bark posts that feature Buttonwoods. This one belongs to Mary Madison. John Naka called her the Buttonwood Queen. … Continue reading Mystical Dragon and other American Tropical Jewels

Ed Trout’s Contorted Buttonwood Beast

I couldn’t pass on this contorted, writhing beast of a Buttonwood any longer. It belongs to Ed Trout, a long time, highly respected Florida bonsai artist and teacher. Gonna take a break from the U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition bonsai today. The sun is shinning and I need to do something quick and easy so I can get outside and do some digging and transplanting before it’s too late. I love Ed Trout’s Buttonwood and I also like the pot. It’s easy to see how they share a wild untamed feeling. My only question is, does such a dramatic tree need … Continue reading Ed Trout’s Contorted Buttonwood Beast

Flowering Bonsai & some other Good News

This is the first and only Fuchsia bonsai we’ve shown. Until now, that is (see below). It’s from a post we did two years ago. We originally found it at Aus Bonsai. Tropical and semi-tropical flowering plants are common and abundant, though not all are suitable for bonsai. This has a lot to do with leaf size, as many have leaves that are too large for bonsai (you can reduce leaf size to some degree, but in most cases it’s best to start out with plants that have small leaves and short internodes). Two good warm climate flowering plants that … Continue reading Flowering Bonsai & some other Good News

Mystical Dragon

I like both the character (the deadwood) and the simplicity (the rest) of this tree. It’s a Buttonwood by Robert Kempinski. I found it here. It’s time to revisit Buttonwoods, our American (but not just American) tropical jewel . There’s lots of information on the web about buttonwoods and particularly their care. Two good places to start are: Of Bonsai Magazine and Bonsai Mary’s. And then there are our numerous posts that feature Buttonwoods. The first two photos are new to us. The others are from a Bark post titled American Tropical Jewell. This one belongs to Mary Madison. John Naka called … Continue reading Mystical Dragon

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

American Tropical Jewel

Buttonwood by Ed Trout. The photo is from The Art of Bonsai Project. * I’m headed out for a brief Independence Day respite, so we’ll take the easy way out and plunder our archives once again. This one is from August 2011 (assuming we haven’t reposted it since then – there’s this issue with memory). I can think of two good reasons to choose it: 1. It’s tropical and it feels like the tropics lately here in northern Vermont where extended hot weather is rare indeed, and 2. Buttonwoods are an American tree and the most American of holidays is … Continue reading American Tropical Jewel

Trout Fishing in America (off the Bonsai Mainstream)

I like this full cascade with its flowing lines and unusual perspective. It’s from Ed Trout’s facebook photos as are the other four bonsai photos in this post. I’m going to guess that it’s a Lantana, but my guessing record isn’t all that good. Ed Trout’s bonsai are unique. Distinctive is another word that comes to mind. It’s as though he branched off from the bonsai mainstream (please accept my apologies – twice) years ago and followed his own inclinations and now those inclinations have borne fruit. You might have to see more of his bonsai to get a feel … Continue reading Trout Fishing in America (off the Bonsai Mainstream)

It’s Free!

Maybe someone can help identify the owner of this most excellent swirling cascade juniper. It’s from the Noelander’s Trophy, 2013. You can see more photos from the show on Crataegus bonsai (and various other places). Speaking of the Noelanders’ Trophy, Marc Noelanders will be one of the featured artists at Brussel’s Rendezvous (see below). Why isn’t your event featured here? In March Bonsai Bark was visited 56,000 times (19,000 of those were unique). This being the case, Bark is probably a pretty good place to advertise your upcoming bonsai event. Especially considering it’s free. The best way to do this … Continue reading It’s Free!

Buttonwood – American Tropical Jewel

Buttonwood by Ed Trout. From The Art of Bonsai Project. Ed’s bonsai have been featured in Bonsai Today magazine (back issues now 40% off). Our own amazing tropical bonsai We’ve featured a lot of collected tropicals from Indonesia and vicinity. Much of this has to do with our connection with Robert Steven (Mr. High Energy Bonsai), one of the world’s foremost bonsai artists, authors, collectors and teachers. It also has to do with the fact that so many of the collected trees (mostly Premna and Pemphis) from that part of the world are so amazing. Now it’s time to feature … Continue reading Buttonwood – American Tropical Jewel