Five Shohin Bonsai Plus One

A sweet little Firethorn (Pyracantha) in full flower. Yesterday we showed one with a few berries and if you scroll down you’ll see one with a lot more than a few. Thought we’d continue yesterday’s Shohin theme with a few more photos. I’ll spare you too much commentary. The photo above is from Bonsai Mike. Continued below… NEW SALE 25% off All Bonsai Books Choose from 50 different titles additional 10% off orders 100.00+ FREE Shipping on U.S. orders 50.00+ be sure to select Free Shipping when you check out It’s not everyday you see a shohin Buttonwood (Conocarpus … Continue reading Five Shohin Bonsai Plus One

Eccentric or Just Twisted?

Doing the Twist. This tree belongs to Mauro Stemberger (Italian Bonsai Dream). Mauro has one of the most dramatic bonsai collections in the West, and though this one certainly qualifies, is there a line between dramatic and eccentric? Two of the trees in this post are naturally twisted and the other two were twisted by the hands of man. I don’t think you’ll have any trouble telling which is which. Site Wide Sale 20% to 25% off Everything* Including our large selection of Roshi & other Bonsai tools Even though there’s something unnatural about many of the twisted by-the-hands-of-man … Continue reading Eccentric or Just Twisted?

Japanese White Pine Bonsai

This Japanese white pine shows a strong truck with good taper and nice balanced open branching. Most quality Japanese white pine bonsai have been grafted onto Black pine stock, but this one was grown from seed. When this photo was taken it had just been wired by Michael Hagedorn (Crataegus Bonsai.) It belongs to a client of Micheal’s. The Japanese white pine is one of the world’s emblematic bonsai. In Japan it is one of the two most famous classical bonsai species (the other is the Japanese black pine) and appreciation for its beauty and suitability for bonsai has spread … Continue reading Japanese White Pine Bonsai

Redwood Bonsai & a Sense of Mystery

This ancient looking tree is a Coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens). It was displayed at the Redwood Empire Bonsai Society’s 27th annual show (2010). This, and all but the last photo in this post, were originally borrowed from Bonsai Tonight. Superior bonsai photography. My hat is off to Jonas Dupuich and his consistently superior photographs (you can view them all at Bonsai Tonight). If you can’t see a top quality bonsai in person, the next best thing is a top quality photo. There’s nothing quite like a hollow trunk to add a feeling of age, depth and character to a tree. … Continue reading Redwood Bonsai & a Sense of Mystery

Boon Again

This stupendously powerful little Japanese black pine had just been refined at a Bay Island Bonsai workshop by Peter Tea when Jonas Dupuich (Bonsai Tonight) took this photo. The tree belongs to Boon. Yesterday we featured five of Boon Manakitivipart’s bonsai, so let’s stay on theme and stick with Boon for the moment. This time the emphasis is on Boon as a bonsai teacher as well as an accomplished bonsai artist. The photos shown here and some of the text as well, are borrowed from three earlier Bark posts (here, here and here). Michael Hagedorn working at one of Boon’s … Continue reading Boon Again

Bonsai, Deadwood & Another World Series Win

Deadwood! Just before we originally featured this post (August 2012), we showed a couple of Serge Clemence’ bonsai in a post on deadwood. I guess the reason I didn’t include this Mugo pine in that post is because Serge has so many trees with powerful deadwood. Still…. Got excited about the SF Giants winning the world series last night and ended up sleeping until 9:00am this morning when I was shocked awake by a vicious horn blast from a truck delivering our 2015 calendars all the way from Japan (soil sieves –large & small – turntables and watering cans too). … Continue reading Bonsai, Deadwood & Another World Series Win

Hiding in Plain Sight

This has got to be one of the most magnificent Chinese hackberry (Celtis sinensis) bonsai anywhere. Though the distinctive split trunk needs no comment, you might also notice the highly developed ramification (fine branching). The tree was donated to the Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection by Ben Oki. We’ve featured it before, but it’s certainly worth another shot. Another dig into our archives. This time unintended… Today I decided it’s time to visit the Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection. It’s one of North America’s premier collections and we haven’t featured it for a long time. I was delighted to see the Rim’s … Continue reading Hiding in Plain Sight

Bay Island Bonsai Tonight

I like the way the shari is understated, relative to many juniper bonsai at least. It contrasts nicely with the striking reddish bark, which someone went to a lot to some trouble to clean up. It’s a Sierra juniper, which as you might guess from the name, is native to the Sierra Nevada Mountains (and further north into the Cascades). The photo is from the Bay Island Bonsai’s 15th Annual Exhibit. Aside from the fact that this is an excellent bonsai with potential to become even better, the fact that it’s a native North American species is an added plus … Continue reading Bay Island Bonsai Tonight

Old Kuromatsu for a New Year

This trunk is so heavy that you could imagine it supporting a huge mass of foliage, yet this humble crown works to perfection. There’s a lot more that could be said about this great old tree, but I’ll stop at pointing out the luminous color and texture of the trunk (not that you could miss it). The tree is around 50-years-old and was grown from seed. It belongs to Kiyoshi Hiramatsu (great name for someone who grows pines) owner of the Hiramatsu Seijuen bonsai garden in Takamatsu’s Kokubunji area in Japan. We just ended 2013 with three great Kuromatsu (Japanese … Continue reading Old Kuromatsu for a New Year

Quick & Easy Azaleas in Bloom

This striking Kyushu azalea (Rhododendron Kiusianum) with its wild almost chaotic trunk is from an Art of Bonsai Project contest held in 2005. It belongs to (or belonged to?) Melvyn Goldstein. The only thing I would take issue with is the pot. Not to say that this isn’t a very nice pot (and very clean and well oiled), it’s just that a shallower glazed oval might be better. BTW: Kyushu are not Satsuki azaleas. Kyushu usually bloom in March or April (depending on where they are) while Satsuki bloom in May (again depending and thus the name Satsuki, which means … Continue reading Quick & Easy Azaleas in Bloom