Daring Combinations

You don’t see pots this ornate everyday. Our source offers no information on the type tree or the artist. At least in English; what text there is, is Vietnamese. Speaking of, you may not know that Vietnam most likely has more bonsai per capita than any other country. Here’s some evidence from a 2014 Bark post. I found this photo while on my daily Facebook adventure. It was posted by Bonsai Nguyen Van Sau. You don’t see that many ornate or colorful pots in the West or Japan. The aesthetic seems to be one of restraint, where the artist is … Continue reading Daring Combinations

Wild & Wonderful Bonsai but No Rain in California

Wild! There’s so much going on with this delightfully crazy tree, that you could spend a long time looking at it and still see something new. It’s a Chinese juniper by Yang Hsui. Yesterday I flew from snowy Boston to sunny San Francisco. I mention this because we flew over the Sierra Nevada, California’s magnificent mountain range, which, in the winter always appears as an endless chain of white from north to south, as far as the eye can see. Only this time no white. Just dark green, brown and other earth colors. California and much of the west has … Continue reading Wild & Wonderful Bonsai but No Rain in California

Wild and Wonderful Bonsai

Wild! There’s so much going on with this delightfully crazy tree, that you could spend a long time looking at it and still see something new. It’s a Chinese juniper by Yang Hsui. Taiwanese Bonsai The three bonsai shown here are all from the 2008 Taiwan Bonsai Creators Exhibition booklet which appears on Bonsai Shari Si-Diao, Cheng, Cheng-Kung’s website. Cheng is one Taiwan’s most famous, and most innovative, bonsai artists and teachers. This one is more wonderful than wild. But take a look at the size of the pot relative to the tree and particularly the trunk. Could the tree … Continue reading Wild and Wonderful Bonsai