Bonsai that Don’t Bust Your Bank Account & an Important Natural Phenomenon

We’ve featured this tree before and we may well feature it again in a year or two. The tree is a yew. The artist is Harry Harrington. Sticking with our friend Harry Harrington. We originally put this post together in September, 2017… All the photos featured here are courtesy of Harry Harrington, an artist who specializes in what you might call found bonsai; bonsai from the wild or from hedgerows and gardens or wherever bonsai stock might come from that doesn’t bust your bank account. For more found bonsai and other good news, you can visit Harry at Bonsai4me or on his … Continue reading Bonsai that Don’t Bust Your Bank Account & an Important Natural Phenomenon

Another Hawthorn & Harry’s Timely Reply

Another Hawthorn that belongs to Harry Harrington. It isn’t as advanced as the one we featured yesterday, but it’s full of promise Yesterday we featured a freshly repotted Hawthorn by Harry Harrington. Here’s the rub… the tree hadn’t been repotted for 15 years! As you might imagine this provoked some questions by several readers. So last night I emailed Harry and this morning I woke up to his reply (before you read on, I suggest you take a look at yesterday’s post). So here’s your answer, in Harry’s own words… “Ive been asked this quite a few times since Saturday! … Continue reading Another Hawthorn & Harry’s Timely Reply

Harry’s Famous Hawthorn

Harry Harrington’s Hawthorn just before repotting Here’s what Harry Harrington wrote about repotting his old Hawthorn…. “For the first time in 15 years, this afternoon I’m repotting this Hawthorn bonsai (some will know as the Informal Broom). And I can’t remember seeing quite so many white fleshy roots circling the bottom of a rootball……..I mean, it’s nice when you repot a tree and they are present, but this has hundreds!” In case you’re wondering why Harry is repotting so early, spring came to England ahead of schedule this year. You can visit Harry at Bonsai4me or on his fb timeline … Continue reading Harry’s Famous Hawthorn

Brilliant Bonsai & Grand Canyon Fall Color

Brilliant fall color. Sweet tree too. It belongs to Harry Harrington. Here’s his caption: “A quick shot of my English or Field Elm bonsai today (Ulmus minor), showing autumn colour. Height 17″/42cm. Developed from an airlayered branch 12 years ago, some of you may recognise from my book Bonsai Inspirations 1. Pot by Victor Harris of Erin Bonsai.” Still on vacation so we’ll dig back into our archives again. This one originally appeared in November, 2016. It’s in keeping with our somewhat current fall color theme. As a bonus, we’ve got a photo of full fall color Aspen from near the rim of … Continue reading Brilliant Bonsai & Grand Canyon Fall Color

Before & After Scots Pine – The trunk provided a good start, but the rest sorely needed Harry’s help

Before and after of a Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) by Harry Harrington. The trunk provided a good start, but the rest sorely needed Harry’s help Harry Harrington has long been one of our main sources for good bonsai material (for good bonsai books too). Though there is room for a number of approaches to styling and refining bonsai, I like the rugged natural style expressed in this little Scots pine. It’s a hallmark of many of Harry’s trees, though he sometimes drifts into a more highly stylized, but equally impressive look. Especially with some of his carving (take a look at the English … Continue reading Before & After Scots Pine – The trunk provided a good start, but the rest sorely needed Harry’s help

The Beginning of Bonsai Time

A study in simple beauty. The tree is a European beech (Fagus sylvatica) that belongs to Harry Harrington, and the well chosen pot is by Erin pottery. The title of this post might be a little misleading, so we’ll call it poetic license (or maybe a metaphor?). Anyway, continuing our Harry Harrington theme, we’ll take a journey back to our first two Harry posts. The first is from March, 2009, Bark’s second month in existence, and the second is from August, 2011. NEW SOIL SPECIAL 30% OFF LIST PRICES ON ALL BONSAI SOIL – This Goldflame Japanese Spirea (Spiraea japonica ‘Goldflame’) was originally dug from a … Continue reading The Beginning of Bonsai Time

A Rare Bonsai Occurrence – Harry’s Flowering Privet

This flowering Privet belongs to Harry Harrington (as does the wristwatch). I took the liberty to crop the original photo (see below) for a closer view Our talented and prolific friend Harry Harrington is at it again. Here’s his caption for the tree shown here (from his fb timeline)… “I think this is quite a rare occurrence, one of my Privet (Ligustrum ovalifolium) bonsai not only flowering, but in scale with the tree itself! Collected in 2009 from a hedge growing in West London, this has always been one of my favourite Privet. Height 14″/34cm, 5″/12.5cm trunk diameter. Pot by Victor … Continue reading A Rare Bonsai Occurrence – Harry’s Flowering Privet

Small Is Beautiful (& Practical Too)

This banyan style dwarf Snow rose serissa (Serissa foetida microphylla) was styled by David Fukumoto of Fuku Bonsai in Hawaii. The pot is a Tokoname from Japan. Living in the tropics is a big plus when it comes to growing aerial roots. Monday morning, Stone Lantern’s peak season and the busiest time of year for bonsai growers, so it’s back to our archives. This one is from April, 2014 Based on thirty five years experience in bonsai business, I’d say that the majority of our readers and customers are into their middle years or beyond. I’m sure there are several good reasons for this, but … Continue reading Small Is Beautiful (& Practical Too)

Bonsai Up Close – Fertilizer Special Ends Tonight

Harry Harrington’s dramatic closeup of a Trident maple root-over-rock by Ian Cuppleditch. Sticking with Harry Harrington. But this time it’s photos he took of other people’s bonsai at the Expo Bonsai UK 2018 Show. Here’s what Harry had to say about them… “After many hours of editing my favourite images from yesterday’s Expo Bonsai UK 2018 Show in Harlington, London, England. The show had an incredibly high standard of trees and I was lucky to get some great photos!” We’re featuring some of Harry’s closeups here. If you’d like to see photos of the entire trees, you can visit Harry’s bonsai4me website FERTILIZER SPECIAL ENDS TONIGHT 30% … Continue reading Bonsai Up Close – Fertilizer Special Ends Tonight

Before & After Bonsai – A Remarkable 7 Year Transformation

Before and after of one Harry Harrington’s famous privets. Here’s Harry’s caption… “For completion, the large Privet bonsai defoliated, wood-hardened and re-styled last month, now back in leaf and ready to live out its days with its new owner near Birmingham (U.K.). Seen here in 2010 after I was given the tree when it was just a big lump of wood collected from a hedge, and now, 7 years later. Ligustrum ovalifolium/Privet bonsai, Height 16″/39cm, Trunk diameter 7″/17cm, Pot by Victor Harris of Erin Pottery” Slow start this morning so we’ll resort to one from our archives (July of last year) … Continue reading Before & After Bonsai – A Remarkable 7 Year Transformation