Brilliant Beech Bonsai & Tiny Companion

Contrast! This shot has to go in our Bonsai Bark hall of fame photos (if we had such a thing). The big one is a Japanese beech (Fagus crenata) and the small one is unidentified, though it looks a lot like a Shimpaku juniper. Both belong to Mariusz Folda Suddenly we’re inundated with fall color bonsai photos. Our colors in northern Vermont peaked three weeks ago and now the rest of the world is catching up. Mariusz Folda, a long time favorite here on Bark is from Bielsko-Biala in southern Poland Two New 30% off Tool Specials Okatsune Bonsai & Garden Tools Koyo … Continue reading Brilliant Beech Bonsai & Tiny Companion

Masters’ Gallery: Group Displays #2

The small Zelkova in the forest plantings on each side create the feeling distant panoramas. The center tree in the curved pot is a Nanking cherry (Prunus tomentosa). The artist is Saburo Kato‘s brother, Hideo. There are also two barely visible companion plants (five elements in all). Masters’ Gallery This is the second post in our masters’ gallery series. It and the first post in this series are from an article by Saburo Kato that appears in Bonsai Today issue 43.

A Simple (?) Air-Layering Technique: part 3

Ten years later. This Japanese beech is from an air-layering that we began showing several weeks ago (part one and part two). We promised a third installment (and almost forgot), so here it is. You can see the whole ten year process in detail in Bonsai Today issues 48 and 49. It this technique really simple? Though each step is fairly simple, there are so many steps that you might question our original notion that this is a simple technique. I guess your view of relative simplicity might depend upon your experience and your patience. Step 9 (one year after … Continue reading A Simple (?) Air-Layering Technique: part 3

Two Masterpieces by Saburo Kato

Ezo spruce (Picea glehnii) was Saburo Kato’s favorite tree. This one is from an untranslated Japanese book on Mr. Kato’s bonsai that his son Hatsuji sent us in appreciation for the gift we (Stone Lantern) sent Mr. Kato’s family when he passed away last year. I picked this one for a couple reasons. First, there’s the dead tree. You see dead trees in bonsai forests occasionally, but not that often. In nature however, dead trees abound, so why not put them in you bonsai plantings? The other feature that strikes me is the lush forest floor. I don’t know if … Continue reading Two Masterpieces by Saburo Kato