Technical Skills, Great Vision & An Unsolved Mystery

After. By Salatore Liporace. It’s not in a bonsai pot yet, but in this case, who cares? There are at least five things that struck me almost immediately about this tree. First, it’s a great example of a before and after bonsai. The before is full of challenges and promise (good stock is half the battle) and when you look at the after, it’s obvious that the artist (Salvatore Liporace) has done a masterful job of rising to the challenge. Second, there’s the exceptionally strong and vividly colored living vein and the way it wraps around and contrasts so well … Continue reading Technical Skills, Great Vision & An Unsolved Mystery

Not Shimpaku part 2

Maybe it’s not perfect, but given the limits of the variety (Jun procumbens ‘nana’), it’s pretty good. In fact, it’s one of the very best pro-nana I’ve seen. It belongs to Thomas J. Mozden, as do all but the last tree in this post. It’s from a 2009 contest that was held on The Art of Bonsai Project. I was going to call this post Lone Star and feature the bonsai of Thomas Mozden who lives in Texas, but I got distracted along the way by the whole Juniper procumbens ‘nana’ question (see our ‘Not Shimpaku’ post and comments from … Continue reading Not Shimpaku part 2

There’s Something About Junipers

The caption from our Juniper book and our original post back in 2010 says “Shore Juniper (J. procumbens)” but that just can’t be. If it’s a Shore juniper, then it’s J. conferta. If it’s a J procumbens then you have to decide if it’s the common ‘Nana’ variety or another variety of procumbens. If it’s another variety of procumbens then the whole naming game is a little more confusing. In any case, this stunning juniper bonsai is by master bonsai innovator, Masahiko Kimura. It combines the sculptural look that has been favored by some Japanese bonsai artists (especially in the … Continue reading There’s Something About Junipers

Wiki Bonsai

The back? Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about this tree: “A Dwarf Japanese Juniper (Juniperus procumbens ‘Nana’) bonsai on display at the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum at the United States National Arboretum. According to the tree’s display placard, it has been in training since 1975. It was donated by Thomas Tecza. This is the “back” of the tree.” This explanation begs at least two questions: why isn’t this view the front (you can scroll all the way down to see the front and decide for yourself)? and, is this a phoenix graft (isn’t the trunk way too massive … Continue reading Wiki Bonsai

Juniper: Before and After

After: By Michael Hagedorn, Crataegus Bonsai. Michael says the container is approx 30 gallons. This should give you some idea of the scale (it’s bigger than it looks). Michael says it’s a Juniper procumbens, but it looks a lot like a J. procumbens ‘nana’ to me (that’s the dwarf cultivar), especially in the photo below. What’s surprising about this is, that if it is a ‘nana’ it’s a monster, with a trunk whose thickness defies the normal limits of the variety. The most over-used tree in North America Juniper procumbens ‘nana’ is ubiquitous in the North American bonsai scene. Especially … Continue reading Juniper: Before and After

There’s Something About Junipers

Shore Juniper (J. procumbens) by master bonsai innovator, Masahiko Kimura. I like this one. It combines the sculptural look that has been favored by some Japanese bonsai artists (especially in the 90s) with a more wild, rugged natural look that is in favor in much of the world bonsai community. Not that bonsai is so simple that it can be divided into two categories; sculptural versus natural. If bonsai is an art, then categories are continually being broken down as artist play, explore and innovate. And no bonsai artist that I know of, has played, explored and innovated more successfully … Continue reading There’s Something About Junipers