Sweet Companions

This sweet little planting with its distinctive little pot belongs to Sigrid Brecht. No plant names were provided with any of the photos shown here, so your guess is at least as good as mine These enchanting little gems all belong to Sigrid Brecht. The Japanese name for these plantings is kusamono. However, if you feature them with bonsai, then the term is shitakusa. Or simply companion plant. We don’t usually feature whole posts on companions (or on suiseki for that matter). Based on clicks, most bonsai enthusiasts haven’t developed that much appreciation. But in this case, I couldn’t resist. … Continue reading Sweet Companions

All You Need Is the Right Pot and Just a Touch of Art

This unusual gem is part of an excellent selection of Kusamono from Tony Tickle’s garden. In Tony’s own words… “I have a large collection of dwarf Hostas, these flourish in my rather damp garden, in summer the other Kusamono come into flower and leaf. Here are a few they include Astilbie, Thrift and sedums. Most of the Pots are from my friend Dan Barton but there are pots from Gordon Duffet and many other European Potters.” Five of the nine photos in this post are Tony’s. It’s summer, the sun is shinning for a change and my bonsai and gardens … Continue reading All You Need Is the Right Pot and Just a Touch of Art

Bonsai Art: Running Out of Superlatives

The day has barely started and I’m already running out of superlatives. I guess ‘spectacular’ will do in this case. It’s a Korean hornbeam (Carpinus turczaninowii) by Ian Stewartson. The photo is from Bonsai Art’s website. Getting ready for another cross country hop (west to east this time), so to save time we’ll pull something out of our archival hat once again. This one originally appeared March 2013. Bonsai Art magazine is very well named. As bonsai magazines go, it is as well-done, beautiful and professional as they come (taking nothing away from International Bonsai Magazine and several other good … Continue reading Bonsai Art: Running Out of Superlatives

The Right Pot and Just a Touch of Art

This unusual gem is part of an excellent selection of Kusamono from Tony Tickle’s garden. In Tony’s own words… “I have a large collection of dwarf Hostas, these flourish in my rather damp garden, in summer the other Kusamono come into flower and leaf. Here are a few they include Astilbie, Thrift and sedums. Most of the Pots are from my friend Dan Barton but there are pots from Gordon Duffet and many other European Potters.” Five of the nine photos in this post are Tony’s. One of the great things about companion plants (Kusamono or Shitakusa) is that they … Continue reading The Right Pot and Just a Touch of Art

Pot Master

I don’t know who styled this wonderfully crazy azalea (I don’t read Japanese) but I do know that Master Potter Gyozan Nakano made the pot. Still out of town so we’ll continue borrowing from our illustrious past. We’re on a pot roll, so let’s just keep rolling. And as long as we’re delving into the archives, why not go all the way back to our first pot post. It’s from July, 2007. A remarkable book about a remarkable potter Four years ago (ten years ago now) I was given a most remarkable book by the World Bonsai Friendship Federation, who … Continue reading Pot Master

Bonsai & Some Great Stories Unearthed

This photo is originally from the from Kokufu-ten 47 (1973) and came to us via Owen Reich’s Bonsai Unearthed. We’ve been discussing root-on-rock bonsai lately, and by extension root-over-rock bonsai, and you must admit that this is a worthy and very unusual example of the latter (I’ll guess that it’s a Trident maple). Also, when have you ever seen a companion plant quite as large as this one? It’s about time we featured Owen Reich (an apprentice and instructor in Japan whose name came up in our last post). After all, it’s rare to find someone who knows his (or … Continue reading Bonsai & Some Great Stories Unearthed

A Nice Pot, a Little Soil…

Succulent with flowers. Such brilliant colors are hard to argue with. All the companion plantings shown here are succulents that belong to Eraydin Erdogan, a bonsai potter living in Turkey (the pots are his creations). The great thing about succulents is that anybody can grow them. All you need is a nice pot, a little soil and a juicy little plant or two. No green thumb or amazing sense of aesthetics necessary. You can even forget to water (up to a point at least). The following three paragraphs are from earlier Bonsai Bark posts (from 2011 and from 2009). If … Continue reading A Nice Pot, a Little Soil…

Good Companions

Sumptuous succulents, perfect pot. Planting by Wolfgang Putz. Pot by Dan Barton. From Wolfgang’s website. Good companions. We’ve featured Wolfgang Putz several times (mostly his bonsai) and ditto with Dan Barton (mostly his pots). Now we’ve got them in one place; Wolfgang’s website; specifically the section on Companion plantings. Looks like an altogether auspicious collaboration. Hosta “Golden Tiara” – FUNKIE by Wolfgang Putz. Slightly split pot by Dan Barton. All the companions in this post are by Wolfgang and all the pots are by Dan. Pleione limprichtii – TIBETORCHIDEE Sempervivum spec. – HAUSWURZ Sempervivum arachnoideum – … Continue reading Good Companions

A Simple & Elegant Solution

Museum worthy. A bevy of sweet succulents has found the perfect nest in this colorful ceramic art by Horst Heinzlreiter. It’s Horst (of course) Choosing the right pot for the right tree (or non-tree plantings in this case) is critical if you want first-rate art, bonsai or otherwise. All the pots and plantings in this post are by Horst Heinzlreiter. We’ve featured Horst’s pots before and, will no doubt feature them again. They are simply too unique and too beautiful to pass up. The simple solution If you own a striking bonsai pot and your bonsai talent or enthusiasm is … Continue reading A Simple & Elegant Solution

At Bonsai’s Edge

Mosses etc in a stone container. All the photos in this post are from Moss and Stone Gardens. If it’s in a bonsai pot You can plant almost anything in a bonsai pot. If it’s woody, you can call it a bonsai. If it’s not, you can call it a companion or accent plant; a planting that’s designed to enhance a bonsai display. Or it could be designed to stand on its own, in which case you can call it a kusamono (for more on this, you can check out Willi Benz’ Bonsai, Kusamono, Suiseki, or this earlier post). No … Continue reading At Bonsai’s Edge