Winter Bonsai Berries

This sturdy Japanese fine tooth holly (Ilex serrata) originally appeared on our 2010 Bonsai calendar (speaking of, our 2018 Calendars are now discounted as part of our New Site Wide Sale). This post started out to about Cotoneaster berries. That is until Bill Valavanis gently let me know that the tree above is an Ilex, even though I would have bet that it’s a Cotoneaster. But then I’ll never bet against Bill when it comes to bonsai. The photos and some of the text in this post are from our archives (June, 2015) NEW SITE WIDE SPECIAL 20% TO 60% OFF LIST PRICES ON EVERYTHING* *there are 4 … Continue reading Winter Bonsai Berries

Winter Bonsai Brilliance

There’s something about Quince flowers… Here’s Bill Valavanis’ caption… “A small size Toyo Nishiki Japanese flowering quince, Chaenomeles speciosa ‘Toyo Nishiki’ with multiple colored flowers. Although red, pink and white blossoms are common for this great cultivar, I’ve often seen red branches grafted onto specimens to improve color distribution.” Busy day today, so we’ll revert to our old tricks. This one originally appeared in February, 2015 All the photos shown here are lifted directly from Bill Valavanis’ blog, Welcome To My Bonsai World. Bill’s account of the 2015 world famous Kokufu Bonsai Exhibition is first hand and what you see here is … Continue reading Winter Bonsai Brilliance

Tiger Bark Bonsai

We’ve shown this magnificent Tiger bark ficus (Ficus retusa) before, but not this cropped front shot. The photo of the entire tree is below along with several other shots that focus on sections. The photos and the tree belong to Nacho Marin. Bonsai Aesthetics Wire SPECIAL 100 gram rolls Only 2.95 500 gram (1.1 lb) rolls Only 8.95 1 Kilo (2.2 lb) rolls Only 15.95 I know we’ve shown this front view of the entire tree before, but it’s worth another look The base of the trunk NEW BONSAI TOOL KIT SPECIAL 30% OFF LIST PRICES ALL BONSAI TOOL KITS plus an extra … Continue reading Tiger Bark Bonsai

More Magnificent Mugo Pines

This superb Mugo pine has a distinctly natural feel. Almost as if someone found it just as is, growing somewhere high in the European Alps. Still, whenever you see a bonsai, a human hand is intimately involved. Even when the tree appears perfectly natural (in some cases, especially when the tree appears perfectly natural). In the case of both trees shown here, the human hand belongs to Georg Reinhard. We borrowed the photos from a post we did in November, 2010. It was titled Mugos by Mother Nature & Georg Reinhard Continuing with our Mugo pine theme from yesterday… I … Continue reading More Magnificent Mugo Pines

NEW 2018 Bonsai Calendars Are Here!

2018 Bonsai Calendars They’re here and they’re beautiful – Enjoy 26 powerful Japanese bonsai Next year you can cut off the dates & enjoy beautiful wall hangings 30″ x 14″ – 13 pages – made in Japan – Note: The photos shown here are from 2017 Our photographer is off for a couple days & we didn’t want to wait we’ll have our 2018 photos by Tuesday special extended one day! BONSAI AESTHETICS TOOL SPECIAL 30% OFF LIST PRICES extended until tomorrow Aesthetics tools for the budget minded bonsai enthusiast special ends Monday Nov 6th at noon EST

Great Bonsai Photos Make a Real Difference

Close up of Chinese quince that belongs to Luis Vallejo. Here’s the original caption… “Pseudocydonia sinensis (Thouin), Masahiko Kimura Nursery, Japan, in the Luis Vallejo bonsai collection since 2009” There’s a photo of the whole magnificent tree at the bottom of this post We featured a few Luis Vallejo bonsai yesterday and now it’s his bonsai again today. This time with some of the best quality bonsai photographs we’ve seen yet. A friend sent me a link to them last night from Pinterest (via Empire Bonsai). Continued below… SPECIAL ENDS WEDNESDAY GREEN T BASIC MODEL HYDRAULIC LIFT TURNTABLE details below… This little gem … Continue reading Great Bonsai Photos Make a Real Difference

Brilliant, Full Fall Color Pomegranate Bonsai

You can find this brilliant, full fall color Pomegranate (Punica granatum)and a whole host of other powerful bonsai at Bonsai Mirai. It has been a while since we featured Ryan Neil’s Bonsai Mirai. If you don’t know Bonsai Mirai, you’re in for a treat. And if you’re ever in the Portland Oregon area, you can enjoy a real time visit to what just might be the most impressive yamadori (bonsai collected from the wild) collection in North America. Continued below… LOWEST WIRE PRICE YET 500 gram (1.1 lb) BONSAI WIRE ONLY 7.95 PER ROLL plus numerous other specials at Stone Lantern – Just three photos … Continue reading Brilliant, Full Fall Color Pomegranate Bonsai

Near the Top of the Bonsai & Penjing Pantheons

This remarkable planting by Kuanghua Hsiao belongs somewhere near the top of the Penjing pantheon. Getting a very late start today, so we’ll take the quick and easy way out and show you this post from January, 2016 (with a little value added today). I think it’s worth another look anyway. Just two remarkable photos today. It’s not that often you see two bonsai by the same person, each so completely different from the other and each among the best you’ll see anywhere. I found both photos here. Continued below… SPECIAL ENDS THURS NIGHT Kilo Bonsai Aesthetics Wire Special YOU WON’T … Continue reading Near the Top of the Bonsai & Penjing Pantheons

Long Live the Bonsai King

Full cascade Japanese black pine (Pinus thumbergii). Japanese for Black pine is Kuromatsu (kuro is black and matsu is pine). Yesterday we resurrected trees from the famous Kokufu Exhibition and the response has been very positive, so why not keep digging in the same vein? Japanese black pines are sometimes referred to a the king of bonsai. This may be in part due to their natural strength; they tend to have powerful trunks and thick lush foliage. Rugged bark doesn’t hurt either. King or not, the best of the black pines are undeniably among the most impressive bonsai in the world. All the … Continue reading Long Live the Bonsai King

Brilliant Bonsai Berries and Something for Cat Lovers

Two bunches of brilliant berries on either side of central gap… In this shot, almost all the berries and foliage are parted down the middle, which provides a clear view of the trunk all the way from the base to the apex. This is quite unusual. Most bonsai will show the lower third or half of the trunk while most of the upper regions are hidden, or at least partially hidden. The tree is a Pyracantha. The pot is Japanese and the artist is Christian De Ross Today we’re picking up where we left off yesterday, with the bonsai of Christian De … Continue reading Brilliant Bonsai Berries and Something for Cat Lovers