Fruiting & Flowering Bonsai

Did that huge apple really grown on this small tree? I’m positive it’s an apple tree and as you can see, that’s most certainly an apple. What we don’t know for sure is, if that apple actually grew on this tree, though it could have. Or if it was glued on (it could also be photo-shopped, but I don’t think it is). There’s something a little off about putting your logo on photos that don’t belong to you. In a world with more than enough serious crime and corruption, this practice barely registers. But still, it’s questionable at best. You … Continue reading Fruiting & Flowering Bonsai

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

While Waiting for Spring – $100 Bonsai Detective Contest

Bonsai #1 Here’s a simple contest to amuse yourself with while waiting for spring. What you have to do to win Identify the variety and the owner of each tree shown here and provide a link to your source (Bonsai Bark does not qualify as a source, with one exception). What you’ll win The first person to get them all right (with links) will win a $100 gift certificate to Stone Lantern. If no one gets them all right, then the person to get the most right before the deadline wins. The Deadline The contest will run for one week … Continue reading While Waiting for Spring – $100 Bonsai Detective Contest

Masters of the Art of Refinement

We don’t usually feature photos with so much background noise. But this bonsai (Trident maple) is phenomenal and the photo has an artistic quality and gives you a sense of place (the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum). The thing that most separates Japanese bonsai from much of the bonsai in the West* is refinement. With deciduous trees this is most obvious when you look at ramification (branch structure and particularly fine branch structure). There are certainly other feature that express refinement, for example taper and nebari, but nothing expresses it more than the development of fine branching. All the bonsai shown here … Continue reading Masters of the Art of Refinement

Luminous Fruit

Is this a persimmon with exotically shaped fruit? Aside from the luminous fruit, beautiful antique looking little pot and distinctively twisted trunk, it’s also hard not to notice the spots on the leaves. No matter, I still love it. Katsumi Komiya. I found these images by Katsumi Komiya on facebook. I’m traveling right now, so I can’t verify this, but I believe Mr. Komiya appears in an old Bonsai Today issue. I’ll check out my back issues when I get home and let you know. If you’ve ever tried to grow fruiting bonsai, you know that getting such perfectly healthy, … Continue reading Luminous Fruit

Can There Ever Be Too Many Flowers?

This azalea would be an excellent bonsai even without the flowers. With the flowers, I’d say it’s a stunningly beautiful bonsai. I found it on Tae Kukiwon Bonsai. One thing I like about this sweet little tree, is how, even though the flowers are stunningly striking, the trunk holds its own. A trunk with less power and character wouldn’t stand a chance. Like so many photos on facebook, it’s unattributed. Can there ever be too many flowers? If you look at the two azaleas in this post, you’ll see that the one above is covered with flowers, while the one … Continue reading Can There Ever Be Too Many Flowers?

Flowering Bonsai, Fleeting Bliss

Satsuki azalea displaying a perfect blend of white with a touch of pink and soft green. The flowers dominate right now, but it’s no accident that the color of the pot enhances the not-so-shabby trunk and nebari. An earlier shot of the same tree appears below. Mis Arboles by Andres Alvarez Iglesias The first three photos in this post are part of a photo album by Andres Alvarez Iglesias that appears on facebook. The title of the photo album is ‘Mis Arboles’ (my trees). The forth photo appears on Andres’ website. All too fleeting It’s flower time here in northern … Continue reading Flowering Bonsai, Fleeting Bliss

Strange & Wonderful Bonsai

Strange and wonderful. The bonsai rules have been demolished. The leaves are too big and the fruit is massive relative to the size of the tree. But rules don’t really matter all that much, and besides, flowering and fruiting trees receive a pass anyway. Bonsai Guest House revisited To quote from our last post “The photos in this post are from Bonsai Guest House in Osaka. I know almost nothing about the place, but you might want to check it out on your next Japan junket.” Just wonderful. Everything about this bonsai is designed to show off it’s brilliant quince … Continue reading Strange & Wonderful Bonsai

Fruiting Bonsai: A Mystery Persimmon

If you know the variety of this tiny fruited persimmon (Diospyros kaki), let me know. The photo is from Bonsai Today issue 39. When I first saw it, I figured ‘kaki’ was the variety, but no such luck. ‘Kaki’ just means persimmon in Japanese. Height 33″ (84cm). Dwarf flowers and fruit You can make leaves smaller by defoliation (cutting leaves off an entire tree, or section of a tree, resulting in a second, or even third crop of smaller leaves) and to some extent by pruning, confining the roots, limiting water and nutrients, and perhaps other means. But dwarf fruit … Continue reading Fruiting Bonsai: A Mystery Persimmon