One Sweet Little Tree While Waiting for More

Our first photo from the just completed 2018 European Bonsai Sans Show. The tree belongs to Carlos Beto. I couldn’t find the species or size, but it looks like a Sohin (small) Cotoneaster. In any case, it’s got all the right stuff; heavy trunk with good movement, a strong nebari, and attractive little berries with a pot to match (red pots are on rise!). The moss is good too, with enough variation in texture and color to create interest (this is an often overlooked feature… slapping some moss on or just using sand or gravel isn’t good enough for a top show). Some might … Continue reading One Sweet Little Tree While Waiting for More

Hand Held Bonsai & a Glass of Good Red Wine

The leaves are very large in relation to the size of the tree, but this often happens with small bonsai and seems to work. At least in this case and many others I’ve seen. No variety is given, but clearly this is a Japanese maple. I cropped this photo and most of the others shown here for a closer look I like good photos of hand held small bonsai. Mostly because it’s an aesthetically pleasing way to provide scale. A much better effect than a soft drink can (though Suthin’s glass of wine does the job without offending my sensibilities). I borrowed … Continue reading Hand Held Bonsai & a Glass of Good Red Wine

Another Impressive Before & After Bonsai Transformation

Though we often expect miracles when it comes to transforming mediocre or otherwise undeveloped bonsai into something as impressive as this one, in reality seven years strikes me as about right amount of time for such a radical transformation. The artist is Alfredo Salaccione and the tree is a Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris). Today’s before and after Scots pine is rather famous. So famous that is has a name of its own – Black Desire (Desiderio Nero).* Actually, I’ve seen not-so-famous trees that have been given names, but in this case I think famous works – at least in Europe – as witnessed … Continue reading Another Impressive Before & After Bonsai Transformation

One More Time – A Spectacular Bonsai Event

Kuhen Smith’s Rough bark Japanese maple won the Finest Japanese Style Display at the 6th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition. Unfortunately you can’t make out the bark in this photo. No blame to Oscar Jonker, the photographer. The lighting in the display area was good for viewing but not necessarily for photos. I cropped Oscar original. The original is below Today, it’s the final two prize winning bonsai at the 6th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition. And some more photos by (or of) Candy Shirey. I hope you have enjoyed the series and maybe this will encourage you to make the trip to Rochester in 2020 Thanks to … Continue reading One More Time – A Spectacular Bonsai Event

Winning Deciduous Bonsai & a Little Break with Tradition

Winner Finest Deciduous Bonsai at the 6th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition. The tree is a Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) that belongs to Dennis Vojtilla. I cropped Oscar Jonker’s original photo (see just below) for a closer look Continuing with the prize winning bonsai from the 6th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition, today we’ve got the winning deciduous tree and another couple bonsai photos by Oscar Jonker (Bonsai Empire), as well as a couple photos of people at the event by Candy Shirey (Candy’s eye and feeling for people are spot on) The break with tradition mentioned in the title of this post, is the shots … Continue reading Winning Deciduous Bonsai & a Little Break with Tradition

Best Bonsai & Best Bonsai Show – The 6th U.S. National

Winner of the Finest Bonsai at the 6th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition. It’s a Japanese black pine (Pinus thunbergii) that belongs to Suthin Sukosolvisit. I cropped the original (see below) for a closer look. The photo was taken by Oscar (Bonsai Empire) with a hand held camera and no special lighting. Stay posted for the rest of the winners and other show photos Back home, exhausted, exhilarated and just a little crazy. If you weren’t there, you’ll have to settle for some photos and a few words. If you were there, you’ll understand the difference between up close and personal, and photographs. And why it’s so … Continue reading Best Bonsai & Best Bonsai Show – The 6th U.S. National

Valentin’s Bonsai Behemoth

This is what can happen to an old bonsai behemoth in the hands of the right artist. In this case the hands belong to Valentín Cruz. The tree is a yamadori (collected from the wild) Sierra juniper (Juniperus occidentalis) Continuing with North American bonsai in our lead up to the 6th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition… It wasn’t long ago I stumbled upon the bonsai of Valentín Cruz, a remarkably skilled young bonsai artist who lives and practices his art in Northern California. Valentín is a student of Jim Gremel, a highly respected bonsai artist and ceramicist, and the proprietor of Deer Meadow Bonsai … Continue reading Valentin’s Bonsai Behemoth

The Best American Bonsai & Other Compelling Reasons to Wake up in Rochester

This twisty bunjin style collected Buttonwood (Conocarpus erectus) shows what can happen when a tenacious tree hangs onto a Florida shoreline that is ravaged by repeated tropical storms and occasional hurricanes. It belongs to Doug Hawley who has been refining this tree for about ten years (this was written in 2009). Height 28″ Pot by Sara Rayner To whet your bonsai appetites, I’ve decided to devote all our posts between now the 6th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition to North American Bonsai We’ll start with three photos which were originally from a book titled North American Bonsai* (out of print), that we originally featured in a post … Continue reading The Best American Bonsai & Other Compelling Reasons to Wake up in Rochester

Japanese Maple Bonsai Through Three Seasons

Japanese maple in its fall brilliance. From the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum Continuing with Maples at the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum we came up with this one from our archives. It’s a single Japanese maple in three stages of it’s annual migration through the seasons. There’s a lot to like about this tree but there’s one question that arises; have you ever seen a bonsai with such a flat top? This is especially pronounced in the fall and summer photos Continued below… BONSAI TOOL SPECIAL ALL BONSAI TOOLS & GARDEN TOOLS 25% OFF LIST PRICES special ends Sunday, August 25th Winter. Maybe this is the … Continue reading Japanese Maple Bonsai Through Three Seasons

Our National Bonsai & Penjing Museum, an American Treasure

This famous old Japanese white pine is one of the most powerful bonsai anywhere. You can find it at the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum. As always. the photo, though enticing, doesn’t begin to do justice Overslept this morning and then had to deal with delivery of 127 boxes of Bonsai Aesthetics wire (about 7,000 individual rolls of wire in 3 sizes: 100gram, 500gram & Kilo rolls), so we’re already way behind schedule. Time for our archives. This one is from Bark’s first month in existence (Feb, 2009) Next time you are in Washington DC, don’t miss the opportunity to visit our exciting National … Continue reading Our National Bonsai & Penjing Museum, an American Treasure