Still Some of the Best Bonsai in the World

This pitch perfect and powerful (sorry, too much coffee this morning) Japanese beech is from Bill Valavaanis’ photos at this year’s Kokufu Exhibiton. It’s a Japanese beech. Here’s Bill’s caption… “Look at the size of the leaf buds. It must have tiny leaves. I asked, it it not a special variety, only the location were it was grown and training techniques developed the small foliage and buds.” Back to Kokufu. Still just a tip of the iceberg. As before, all the photos are from Bill Valavanis, Bonsai blog. One of our regular haunts and always a click worth making Four … Continue reading Still Some of the Best Bonsai in the World

A Massive Bonsai Masterpiece

This massive masterpiece is a Japanese beech (Fagus crenata) Yesterday we featured an impressive Japanese beech and today we’ve got one that takes impressive to another level. We’ve shown it before, but the best trees are always worth another look. There was no attribution with our source so we don’t know who it belongs to, though based on the level of development and the meticulous attention to detail that it expresses, you might guess it’s from Japan ROSHI TOOL SPECIAL ENDS TONIGHT 30% or more OFf all roshi tools SEE BELOW – It helps to have something familiar for scale. Though we don’t know how large the human is (or … Continue reading A Massive Bonsai Masterpiece

Mammoth Masterpiece

This monster Japanese beech is so massive and so masterful, that once you see it, you’ll never forget it. Continuing with our Japanese beech theme from a few days ago, I couldn’t resist this one. It’s from a post we did back in March, 2016. There was no attribution with our source and we still don’t know who it belongs to. IT’S NOT TOO LATE… orders received before noon EST will be shipped the same day orders receive after noon will be shipped the same day or the next day SITE WIDE SALE Almost Everything 30% – 70% off List Prices Order Now for Immediate … Continue reading Mammoth Masterpiece

Fine Branching Is Key to Superior Deciduous Bonsai

This now famous Japanese beech (Fagus crenata) received the coveted Kokufu prize at the 88th Kokufu Bonsai Exhibition. Aside from its overall magnificence, this tree provides a perfect example of what great ramification looks like. The photo is from the World Bonsai Friendship Federation. Identification and other details were provided by Bill Valavanis. Ramification literally means branch development, or how branches grow. However, when it comes to the art of bonsai, it has come to mean branch development that displays a couple key features: taper and fine branching. These features are critical when it comes to developing quality deciduous (and … Continue reading Fine Branching Is Key to Superior Deciduous Bonsai

A Green T Bonsai Turntable will transform the way you work on your trees

Monster tree, monster turntable. The tree is a Holm oak that belongs to Raffaele Perilli. The turntable is a Green T Basic that also belongs to Raffaele. A Green T Turntable will transform the way you work on your bonsai and transform your trees in the process This year we are delighted to announce that we have increased our Green T lineup to two. Our original Green T Basic and our brand New Green T plus. This illustration should give you a good idea of the difference. Green T Basic is suited to people who like to work sitting down, … Continue reading A Green T Bonsai Turntable will transform the way you work on your trees

Powerful Bonsai & an Ode to a Powerful Turntable

An excellent (if somewhat unkempt) Yew astride a Green T turntable. At least I think it’s a Yew (Taxus). We have a handful of wonderful Green T Turntables left for the season, and I can think of no better gift for any bonsai artist… professional, highly accomplished non-professional, or simply aspiring. Continued below… Three Great New Sales 30% to 40% off Bonsai Today back issues 30% off Roshi Bonsai Tools 30% off Yoshiaki Japanese Bonsai Wire plus an Extra 10% off orders 100.00+* FREE Shipping on U.S. orders 50.00+ you must select Free Shipping when you check out An … Continue reading Powerful Bonsai & an Ode to a Powerful Turntable

An Astounding Japanese Beech Sitting Smack Dab…

What a great tree! What a great turntable! Both belong to Jean-Paul Polmans. His simple caption reads “I like the new turntable in my studio.” So this morning, while looking for that perfect photo of that perfect tree, on that famous social media time sump, up pops this astounding Japanese beech sitting smack dab on a Green T Turntable. How could I resist? Another Green T and another great bonsai. It’s a Holm oak that belongs to Raffaele Perilli. No caption needed. NEW Sales at Stone Lantern 40% off 100 gram rolls of Bonsai Aesthetics Wire 30% Bonsai … Continue reading An Astounding Japanese Beech Sitting Smack Dab…

Some Astoundingly Brilliant Bonsai, though…

Though this extraordinary bonsai is unidentified (and unattributed), still I’m confident that it’s a Japanese beech. I’m also confident that it makes its home in Japan. For a little perspective on just how massive this tree is, there’s that partial human torso on the right. The original shows the whole human, but I’ve taken the liberty to slice him up a bit in an attempt to limit distraction (the original is below). All the photos shown here were posted by Tae-Kukiwon-Bonsai (aka Eduardo Mourão Guedes) and even though they are unnamed and unattributed, I couldn’t resist. In case you are wondering, … Continue reading Some Astoundingly Brilliant Bonsai, though…

Avant-Garde Bonsai

Avant-garde bonsai. This fluid tree with its distinctive flying pot is from Bonsai Do. The caption says with Tony Tickle (I visited Tony’s blog and couldn’t find it). There’s also this quote by Thomas Browne (it’s in Spanish on Bonsai Do, but here’s the original English): Art is the perfection of nature. Nature hath made one world, and art another. Leaving for the airport in a while, so not enough time to put together a new post. I borrowed this one from February, 2013. Here are some photos I captured from Bonsai Do on facebook. The good news is they … Continue reading Avant-Garde Bonsai

Masters of Bonsai Technique

When I first saw this tree I thought it might be a Yew. But, the bark isn’t right, and even the foliage, though close, isn’t quite right either. Fortunately, Peter Tea solved the problem in his 2011 Taikan-ten Exhibition post. Peter’s caption reads: “This Yew Hemlock caught many peoples attention. It made sense that it took the prize for medium conifer. We don’t have any Yews here at Aichien because they don’t do well in the hot weather that we have in Nagoya.” As for the species, it turns out that there are two Hemlocks that are native to Japan … Continue reading Masters of Bonsai Technique