NEW Bonsai T-Shirts & the 6th U.S. National

Our neighbor Sophie modeling our Brand NEW all cotton Stone Lantern T-shirt. And no, Sophie is not a professional model. Just a friend (and local police officer). You can order your T-shirt online for 20.00 plus a very modest shipping charge or save the shipping charge and pick one up at the upcoming 6th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition Continuing with our lead up to the 6th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition (Rochester, NY, September 8th & 9th – it’s not too late to make your plans)… This time it’s our new T-Shirt that will accompany us to the show along with a wide range of bonsai … Continue reading NEW Bonsai T-Shirts & the 6th U.S. National

Feed Your Bonsai (They Don’t Survive on Water, Light and Love Alone)

Your bonsai may never look like this, but they can be this healthy if you tend to basic care, including ample fertilizing. It’s a Japanese maple that belongs to Walter Pall. Walter lists its height as 75cm (30″) and its age as around thirty years. It was imported from a Korean nursery in 2016. The pot is a Tokoname from Japan. This is not the first time we’ve encouraged you to tend to your bonsai’s nutrient needs, and it won’t be the last. The tree above appeared here on Bark a few months ago. Most of the rest of what you see here … Continue reading Feed Your Bonsai (They Don’t Survive on Water, Light and Love Alone)

The Tallest Trees in the World?

This Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii* subsp. glauca) is one of numerous extraordinary bonsai at Ryan Neil’s Bonsai Mirai (near Portland, Oregon). It was originally collected in the Rocky mountains by Randy Knight. It’s age is given as 100-250 years. Height is 36″ (91cm), width 52″ (132cm). Yesterday’s post got me thinking about Firs and it wasn’t a long trip from firs (Abies varieties) to Douglas firs (Pseudotsuga menziesii). So even though Douglas firs are not true firs, still, these photo are just too good to pass up NEW Deeper Discount 1 Kilo (2.2 lb) Bonsai Wire now only 16.00 … Continue reading The Tallest Trees in the World?

A Well Fed Japanese Red Pine & a Reminder to Feed Your Bonsai Generously

This distinctive Japanese red pine with its strong shari and sudden change of direction, shows the radiant vibrancy of a well-fed bonsai. It belongs Ken Fujiwara Summer growing season is time to generously feed your bonsai… Without adequate fertilizing, you won’t see the development you want; vibrant rich foliage, fine branching, thickening trunks and primary branches, powerful nebari and most critical of all, strong root growth. And of course, well-fed strong bonsai can better resists pests and diseases and withstand the challenges of the coming winter FEED YOUR BONSAI & SAVE All Bonsai Fertilizers 25% to 40% off List Prices … Continue reading A Well Fed Japanese Red Pine & a Reminder to Feed Your Bonsai Generously

Begin Work on the Nebari the First Time You Transplant

This Trident maple (Acer buergerianum) is sporting a rather impressive nebari. Does it look a bit like a clown’s oversized shoe? Or does it suit you just as it is? The original appears in Bonsai Today issue 70 in an article titled “Transplanting to increase the feeling of age,” by Kazunori Kamiya. Continuing our series on nebari. This one is originally from April 2009 (with a few changes today). It was titled, In Search of the Perfect Nebari 3. For some more good how-to nebari tips, take a look at our last post. No matter how you view the nebari … Continue reading Begin Work on the Nebari the First Time You Transplant

Full Bloom Bonsai – A Passion for Beauty

This wildly colorful Satsuki Azalea is from a Flowering Bonsai Gallery in Bonsai Today issue 65 (image courtesy of Bonsai Focus). If you take a close look at the flowers, you’ll see that there are a number of different shades and patterns. A mark of human passion for beauty and endless variation. There are few things as delightful as Satsuki azalea bonsai in full bloom. Especially in person. Lacking that, next best are high quality photos of Satsuki azalea in full bloom. Especially during the darkest and coldest days of winter. Continued below… NEW INCREASED DISCOUNTS 30% to 35% off … Continue reading Full Bloom Bonsai – A Passion for Beauty

Don’t Starve Your Bonsai!

This radiantly healthy, well-fed Japanese black pine is from our Masters Series Pine Book. Spring is coming. For many of you it will arrive over the next few weeks. For those of us in northern Vermont and other such brutal locations, it’s still about 12-14 weeks away. For most of you, it’s somewhere in between. Time to start fertilizing isn’t that far off. Many people underfeed their bonsai. Sometimes the mistaken notion that starvation is essential to keep trees small, wins out over the common sense understanding that regular nutrition is essential for health. In the case of bonsai (and … Continue reading Don’t Starve Your Bonsai!

Flowering Bonsai – Choosing the Best Angle

This looking-up-into-the-tree shot, shows off the powerful trunk, excellent nebari, good branching and taper from bottom to top. If you wanted to accentuate the flowers, you might shoot from a point considerably higher. I don’t know who this tree belongs to and an image search came up empty. How you chose to photograph a bonsai, makes a world of difference.* Without going into the obvious, like good lighting and a simple, uncluttered neutral background (bad photos are often worse than no photos at all), just the angle you chose can make a big difference. In the photo above a very … Continue reading Flowering Bonsai – Choosing the Best Angle

For Healthy & Beautiful Bonsai…

Your bonsai may never look like this, but they can be this healthy. It’s a Chinese Quince (Pseudocydonia sinensis) from last year’s Kokufu Exhibition.* You can tell by its robust development that this tree has been well-fed throughout its life. Feed your bonsai! Because it’s so practical and timely, this post deserves annual airing. Most what you see here first appeared in 2010. The advice is still spot on and worth a careful read if you’d like to maximize the health and beauty of your bonsai. This magnificently robust Willow leaf ficus (Ficus nerifolia) is by Jim Smith of Dura-Stone … Continue reading For Healthy & Beautiful Bonsai…

FREE Bonsai Fertilizer

A healthy mix of plant nutrients is big part of why this Brazilian Rain Tree’s lush canopy is shimmering with life. It belongs to Budi Sulistyo. FREE Bonsai Fertilizer with your Stone Lantern order of 50.00 or more but only if you put FREE in the comments when you check out FREE 8oz (1/2 lb) bag of Green Dream Bonsai Fertilizer all you have to do is place a 50.00 order at Stone Lantern and put FREE in comments when you check out While we’re at it…. Did you know that we are practically giving away Kilo Rolls of … Continue reading FREE Bonsai Fertilizer