A Stunningly Beautiful Mix of Bonsai, Paintings, Natural Backdrop…

This shot was lifted from the Pacific Bonsai Museum’s video tour. Continuing with our Pacific Bonsai Museum theme… I finally took the time to stop and view (again and again) their video tour. If you haven’t seen it, I suggest you take a couple minutes and treat yourself. It’s stunningly beautiful with it’s mix of bonsai, paintings, natural backdrop and ecstatic music that captures the soaring feeling of the surroundings. Hats off to Curator Aarin Packard, Executive director Kathy McCabe and the rest of excellent staff for helping to create and maintain such a brilliant bonsai treasure . This just might be the largest and best Sale we’ve ever … Continue reading A Stunningly Beautiful Mix of Bonsai, Paintings, Natural Backdrop…

Bark, Deadwood & the Ravages of Time

I’ve long been fascinated by close ups. Especially shots of deadwood and bark with their richly illustrated stories of time and the elements. Sunday morning. Crocuses, peepers in the pond and pure unobstructed sun. Time to get outside. So rather than taking the time to put together another new post, we’ll borrow from our archives. This one originally appeared in March, 2015. All the photos shown here are by Salvador De Los Reyes. I believe that all but one are of his trees (here and here are couple earlier Bark posts that feature Salvador’s bonsai). You can view more photos … Continue reading Bark, Deadwood & the Ravages of Time

Straight Up & Tightly Bunched

You don’t see that many Ginkgos bonsai and when you do, they’re usually not this good. A couple things that stand out are the brilliance of the new leaves and how that brilliance is reinforced by the green moss, the green pot and even the barely perceptible little green buds on the trunk. And then there’s the perfect little trunk that looks a bit like a termite mound. I borrowed the photo from Bill Valavanis’ blog, Welcome to My Bonsai World. Getting a late start today, so we’ll take the easy way out. This one originally appeared in June, 2015 … Continue reading Straight Up & Tightly Bunched

Masterful Bonsai, Brilliant Pots & Glimpses of Monet & Van Gogh

One of three magnificent Junipers (Juniperus chinensis) that you can find on Ryan Bell’s Japanese Bonsai Pots website. Or, you can go straight to the source, Bonsai Sidiao master, Cheng Cheng Kung’s site. Yesterday, Ryan Bell offered a friendly heads up on a boneheaded mistake by yours truly. After wiping the egg off and correcting the mistake, I decided to visit Ryan’s Japanese Bonsai Pots to see what he’s been up to lately. As always, it was a click worth making. Especially for someone who enjoys brilliant ceramic art and equally brilliant bonsai. Continued below… Here’s something you might like … Continue reading Masterful Bonsai, Brilliant Pots & Glimpses of Monet & Van Gogh

Two Powerful Bonsai & A Point of Distinction

This gnarly old Japanese white pine (Pinus parviflora) (completely asleep at the wheel… but thanks to our friend Ryan Bell, we now know that the tree is 2 needle pine rather than a 5 needle… thus a Japanese red or Japanese black pine)is from a Japanese gallery that originally appeared in Bonsai Today* issue 85. It looks a bit like something you might find on Point Lobos (more about that below). Artist unknown. This post originally appeared in January 2010. It was inspired by a visit to Point Lobos on California’s Monterrey Peninsula. Hyperbole aside, it’s one of the most … Continue reading Two Powerful Bonsai & A Point of Distinction

Magnificent Monster Scot’s Pine

This magnificent monster yamadori Scot’s pine (Pinus sylvestris) belongs to Andres Alvarez Iglesias. I cropped it for a closer look. The original is below Andres Alvarez Iglesias sent the photo above to the Bonsai Focus Golden Concave contest (see the poster just below). Judging from what I see here, there are some other very good trees (including several that we’ve featured here on Bark). They’ll need to be very good to hold up to this one. Continued below… Two New Excellent Japanese Tool Sales 25% off Koyo Bonsai Tools and… 25% off Okatsune Bonsai & Garden Tools Plus an extra … Continue reading Magnificent Monster Scot’s Pine

Wraparound Bonsai & Two Great Specials End Tonight

This distinctively unusual Mugo pine received Marco Invernizzi’s Ichiban* Award at the 2008 Art of Bonsai Awards. The artist is Alfredo Salaccione from Italy. If you spend a lot of time looking at bonsai, you might come to appreciate unusual features. Features that make a tree not only interesting, but unique. In the case of the Mugo pine above, there are several that stand out. The most obvious feature, one that immediately catches the eye, is the way the trunk wraps around and frames the tree’s crown. This alone, makes for a very unusual and distinctive bonsai. A bonsai that … Continue reading Wraparound Bonsai & Two Great Specials End Tonight

Picasso’s Bonsai Garden

The natural look (or who needs manicured bonsai?). This photo captures two things I love about Eladan Gardens. The first is the rugged uncontrived look that characterizes Dan Robinson’s bonsai, and the second is the perfect setting. The tree is a Sierra juniper (Juniperus occidentalis). Earlier this month I finally visited Dan and Diane Robinson’s magnificent Elandan Gardens. It was a quick visit and all I had to shoot with was my cell. So the photos aren’t nearly as good as most of the borrowed Elandan photos from previous posts. But some shots are unique and hopefully capture something of … Continue reading Picasso’s Bonsai Garden

FREE Bonsai Wire & Three Great Sales

FREE Bonsai Wire With any Stone Lantern order of 10.00 or more if you write FREE in the comments box when you check out We’ve got plenty of 100 gram rolls in stock, so why not? Order now for you FREE wire take advantage of current sales and discounted items and receive your FREE wire don’t forget to write FREE in the comments box when you check out The Details… Orders from 10 to 19.99 will receive 100 grams of FREE wire. Orders from 20.00 to 29.99 will receive 200 grams Orders from 30.00 to 39.99 will receive 300 grams…. … Continue reading FREE Bonsai Wire & Three Great Sales

Whirlpool, Dancer & Other Magnificent Japanese White Pine Bonsai

Do you recognize this tree? We devoted a whole chapter to it in our Pine book (Jewel to Whirlpool). The artist is Tomio Yamada (at least at that time). It’s called Uzushio which as you might guess, means whirlpool. Like the other trees in this post, it resides at the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum. It’s finally spring here in northern Vermont. In addition to bonsai, I have a passion for landscaping and it’s time to mulch (we’ll cover the weeds that are already taking hold and see what happens). So to save some time and get back outside before the … Continue reading Whirlpool, Dancer & Other Magnificent Japanese White Pine Bonsai