Under Appreciated Bonsai?

This single tree with five trunks is an Rough bark Japanese maple (Acer palmatum Arakawa). It was imported from Japan by Akina Bonsai, Poland and redesigned by Walter Pall last month. As you can see, Walter decided to use guy wires. The trunks are on the large side for bending and moving with conventional wiring and wrapping wire around each trunk might damage the bark Maybe it’s just me, but I sometimes feel like clump style bonsai (trees with one root system and multiple trunks) are under appreciated in our bonsai world. Single trunk trees with massive girth or dramatic movement (or both) seem to more readily capture … Continue reading Under Appreciated Bonsai?

Coffee, Bonsai & Something for the Season

Trident maple at the 2013 Taikan-ten Exhibition. There’s a lot going on with the tree; three major trunks and a baby one sticking out the back, a large mounding nebari and a whole lot of movement. I particularly like the trunk on the right that emerges from the base of the nebari (the base of the base). I borrowed the photo from Bjorn Bjorholm. The color seems a bit off, but you still get the drift. It’s a busy time when catching up seems even less likely than usual. One solution is to delve back into our archives. This one … Continue reading Coffee, Bonsai & Something for the Season

Who Doesn’t Love Good Multi-Trunk Bonsai with Their Morning Coffee?

Trident maple at the 2013 Taikan-ten Exhibition which is happening right now (Nov 18-26). There’s a lot going on with the tree; three major trunks and a baby one sticking out the back, a large mounding nebari and a whole lot of movement. I particularly like the trunk on the right that emerges from the base of the nebari (the base of the base). I borrowed the photo from Bjorn Bjorholm (facebook of course). I started this post thinking we’d show a few Taikan-ten Exhibition trees from the last few years. A sort of mini-history lesson. But that proved too … Continue reading Who Doesn’t Love Good Multi-Trunk Bonsai with Their Morning Coffee?

Big, Brawny and Beautiful, But How Many Trunks Can You Count?

Super Mario is at it again. From Mario Komsta’s facebook photos. How many trunks can you count? Does this magnificent tree have four or five trunks? Does it even matter? Actually, I think most of us would say that it does matter and that even though there are only four trunks at ground level, the effect, thanks to the tree on the left, is that of five trunks. What’s the big deal about even numbers? Generally, the Japanese abhor the number four, at least when it come to trunks in bonsai. The same can be said for six, eight and … Continue reading Big, Brawny and Beautiful, But How Many Trunks Can You Count?

That Natural Look

Natural beauty in fall color with a single root system and multiple trunks. Another facebook find (somewhat crudely cropped for a closer look and to eliminate background distraction – the uncropped original is below). It looks like it might be a hornbeam, but that’s just a guess. Moss I’m not sure about the moss. It look good, but can’t be that healthy for the tree in terms of aeration and related issues. Normally, it’s better to leave some exposed soil. My guess is that it’s just for show and some of it will be removed later. That natural look A … Continue reading That Natural Look