Flowers, a Tiny Lizard & Other Bonsai Wonders

It’s almost that time of year. Here’s David Benavente’s caption… Rhododendron indicum “Shin Nikko” hoy, en plena floración (today in full bloom). 45x55cm (18″ x 21.5″) We’re still working on finishing touches for our soon-to-be launched new website. Stay posted, I think you’re going to like it. Meanwhile time is of essence so we’ll take our trusty old shortcut. This one is from May of last year. It’s been a while since we’ve featured David Benavente and his Estudio de Bonsái. It’s in Galapagar, Spain. Just outside of Madrid. The photos are from David’s timeline FOUR SPRING SPECIALS 25% OFF BONSAI … Continue reading Flowers, a Tiny Lizard & Other Bonsai Wonders

Beauty Doesn’t Always Conform to Our Expectations

Before and after European olive by Javi Campos Juan. Though it looks as though Javi has somehow managed to bend the trunk, perhaps all he has done is changed the planting and viewing angles. In any case, the improvement is striking Continuing with our Before & After theme from the last few days… You don’t often see Olives styled like this one; more like a conifer than an Olive. Regarding this, there is a good argument for styling in the way the type tree naturally grows. Trees that don’t conform to this standard often look unnatural Still, I like this tree. True, … Continue reading Beauty Doesn’t Always Conform to Our Expectations

Bonsai Folk Art

Bonsai folk art. There’s so much that’s unusual and delicious about this one, that I won’t bother to say much, except that the tree looks like an Olive (talk about asleep at the wheel, and thanks to a couple astute readers, we’re going have to revise this to Rosemary), I love it and Juan Antonio’s caption says… “Otro listo. Romero Palaui.” I don’t know who Romero Palaui is, but his name comes up on Pinterest a lot. The World Cup Finals start in about 80 minutes, so we’ll save researching him for another time Continuing with our newly discovered Juan Antonio Pérez (see … Continue reading Bonsai Folk Art

“Keep Calm & Carry On”

Once you get over the fascination with this tree’s gigantic girth – and your reaction (positive, negative or otherwise) – you might notice there’s a lot more going on than simply size. This photo and the others shown here belong to Ignazio Giambrone. European olives and exaggerated trunks are almost synonymous. For some of us, these monsters are worthy of high praise – with their massive girth (and great taper in most cases) – while for others these fat beasts might seem just a tad over the top. Mostly, I count myself in first group. Girth and taper are powerful … Continue reading “Keep Calm & Carry On”

Three Pines, a Prize Winning Olive & a Great Display by One of Only Two Americans to Exhibit at the 2014 Kokufu

This knotted pine, along with the two pines below, were recently posted by Frank Cucchiara. Frank doesn’t say anything about them (they look like Japanese black pines), but based on what we know about Frank, we can assume they are his. This post was going to be short and simple. Three pines borrowed from Frank Cucchiara. But, suddenly, after a little research, we’ve got a tribute to Frank’s bonsai. Continued below… 8.50 for 500 gram rolls of Bonsai Wire IS Too Good to Pass UP 13.50 less 30% = 9.45 per roll if your total order is 100.00+ then it’s … Continue reading Three Pines, a Prize Winning Olive & a Great Display by One of Only Two Americans to Exhibit at the 2014 Kokufu

Four Sturdy Bonsai & One Very Sturdy Turntable

Old European olives are often full of character as well as muscle, and this one is no exception. I believe the tree belongs to Luis Vallejo, though I couldn’t find evidence on his website. Taking some time off today, so we’ll resurrect an old favorite from our archives. While we’re at, we’ll give a nod to our powerful Green T Turntable. There’s something compelling about bonsai with powerful trunks. Assuming that I’m not the only one so compelled, below are three more very sturdy bonsai and one very sturdy turntable for your enjoyment. Myrtus communis by Rui Ferrreira. I’ve never … Continue reading Four Sturdy Bonsai & One Very Sturdy Turntable

Harry Harrington’s Spectacular Bonsai

I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen a privet bonsai quite this spectacular. It belongs to Harry Harrington. We’ve featured it a couple times over the years, but this latest iteration takes it to another level. Here’s Harry’s caption… “So at last, here it is……..taken last night under lights, my Common Privet bonsai (Ligustrum ovalifolium), height 19″/48cm. In a handmade bonsai pot designed and built by Swedish potter Thor Holvila” Harry Harrington’s bonsai4me has long been one of our default websites when it comes to researching a wide range of bonsai and useful bonsai information. Harry also posts a steady stream … Continue reading Harry Harrington’s Spectacular Bonsai

Olive Bonsai – Massive Trunks, Wild Trees

This European olive is a very substantial tree. But then, substantial European olives are quite common… though olives as substantial and developed as this one aren’t quite so common. Another foray into our archives. This one originally appeared December, 2013. It was titled ‘Wild Trees & Massive Trunks.’ All of the trees in this post are European olives. The photos are from José Gómez del Río on facebook. Another rugged olive with a great trunk and a good pot choice too. This wild unrefined look is typical of olives. As long as we’re on the subject of pots, you … Continue reading Olive Bonsai – Massive Trunks, Wild Trees

Finally, An Undisputed Winner

Contest or no contest, this powerful European olive by Luis Vallejo is an exceptional tree. Okay. That whole prove us wrong thing from last week was a bust. Absolutely no dissenting views. Looking on the bright side, I guess that means we got it right. Best of all, we finally have an undisputed winner for our Bonsai Detective contest. Congratulations to Dorothy Schmitz. She wasn’t one of the first entries, but she kept plugging away until she got it right (if you happen to be Dorothy, your $100 gift certificate will be emailed to you on Monday). Thanks to all … Continue reading Finally, An Undisputed Winner

Prove Us Wrong & Win a $50 Gift Certificate

This is the one that caused the most trouble (see D below). Our Bonsai Detective contest (from three weeks ago) turned out to be the most difficult one to judge yet. Remind me next time to be sure we have an ironclad grip on all the answers before we start. Not only were there lots of entries, but most were very good with only one or two misses. But what really made it difficult is conflicting, vague and otherwise unreliable information on the internet (surprise!). Especially on facebook (another surprise no doubt). The upshot is that after spending hours pouring … Continue reading Prove Us Wrong & Win a $50 Gift Certificate