American Bonsai Originals

I think this tree has something to say about just how far American bonsai has come. It’s a Japanese white pine by Ryan Neil. From his Bonsai Mirai website. Yesterday we featured a Bald cypress that belongs to Ryan Neil (Bonsai Mirai). This got me thinking about just how long we’ve been featuring Ryan’s trees. Turns out it has been exactly seven years (August, 2011). Here it is, our first post devoted solely to Ryan’s bonsai. It was titled Elevating the Art of Bonsai in the West. As always I’ve made a few changes NEW SPECIAL ALL BONSAI & GARDEN TOOLS 25% … Continue reading American Bonsai Originals

Refining a Masterpiece Japanese White Pine

Left side of a recently trimmed and wired masterpiece Zuisho Japanese white pine. The artist is Naoki Maeoka. This Zuisho Japanese white pine must be one of the most outstanding formal upright bonsai in the world. It’s perfect taper, perfect branching with just the right amount of open space between each branch, perfectly rounded apex, and so on, all attest to this view of near perfection. But then near perfection is the goal with formal upright bonsai. And Naoki Maeoka is a master when it comes to refining extraordinary bonsai. 20% off all Bonsai Wire Sale Ends Tonight at 11:59pm … Continue reading Refining a Masterpiece Japanese White Pine

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

Reviving a Neglected Bonsai

After. The fresh lime sulfur causes the deadwood to be a little too white, though it will fade in time to create a more natural look. If you look closely, you can see some of the foliage is still recovering from stress. Today we’ve got just one tree for you. A dramatic before and after. Well actually, after, before and then after again. The artist is Naoki Maeoka. His short caption reads Styling a Tosho (Needle juniper). Continued below… Last Day! 30% off Roshi Bonsai Tool Sale ends tonight Roshi Tools are known throughout the world bonsai community for exceptional … Continue reading Reviving a Neglected Bonsai

Before & After – Cutting a Juniper Down to Size

The old Needle juniper, with its distinctively strange shari, belongs to Michael Hagedorn (Crataegus Bonsai). Here’s some of what Michael Hagedorn wrote about this juniper in a post titled Needle Juniper Restyling: “This tree is too tall. And the branches are a bit leggy, too. One of the problems we get into in bonsai design is that with time and growth, height and branch length can begin pulling us away from the trunk. Literally destroying the design, making it weaker. And this tree has a nice trunk, which is a good enough reason to consider redesigning it, to compact the … Continue reading Before & After – Cutting a Juniper Down to Size

Some Astoundingly Brilliant Bonsai, though…

Though this extraordinary bonsai is unidentified (and unattributed), still I’m confident that it’s a Japanese beech. I’m also confident that it makes its home in Japan. For a little perspective on just how massive this tree is, there’s that partial human torso on the right. The original shows the whole human, but I’ve taken the liberty to slice him up a bit in an attempt to limit distraction (the original is below). All the photos shown here were posted by Tae-Kukiwon-Bonsai (aka Eduardo Mourão Guedes) and even though they are unnamed and unattributed, I couldn’t resist. In case you are wondering, … Continue reading Some Astoundingly Brilliant Bonsai, though…

Two Handed Bonsai

It’s not unusual to see a photo of someone holding a small bonsai in one hand. However, you almost never see a photo with someone holding a bonsai with two hands. Until now that is. This two handed approach gives the feeling that the tree (a rather spectacular Shimpaku juniper) is being offered. This photo and the others in this post are from Japan Shohin Bonsai. One of the problems with photographing bonsai is conveying size. The easiest and perhaps best way is to provide something familiar for contrast. It used to be fairly common to see bonsai with cigarette … Continue reading Two Handed Bonsai

Masters of Bonsai Technique

When I first saw this tree I thought it might be a Yew. But, the bark isn’t right, and even the foliage, though close, isn’t quite right either. Fortunately, Peter Tea solved the problem in his 2011 Taikan-ten Exhibition post. Peter’s caption reads: “This Yew Hemlock caught many peoples attention. It made sense that it took the prize for medium conifer. We don’t have any Yews here at Aichien because they don’t do well in the hot weather that we have in Nagoya.” As for the species, it turns out that there are two Hemlocks that are native to Japan … Continue reading Masters of Bonsai Technique

It’s Later Now – More Taikan-ten Bonsai

A Shimpaku juniper from the 34th Taikan-ten Bonsai Exhibition. The photo is from Michael Bonsai (on facebook) as are all the photos shown here. It’s later (than you think). A few days ago we put up a post titled Taiken-ten Bonsai, Some Pines First, More Later. Now it’s later. So here they are, as promised. I’m going to go ahead and guess the varieties. Not because I’m brave (or foolish, though you could take issue) but because these look pretty easy. Looks like a Japanese white pine. Ume (AKA Prunus mume, AKA Japanese apricot). The bark is a … Continue reading It’s Later Now – More Taikan-ten Bonsai

A Bonsai in Hand

It’s not unusual to see a photo of someone holding a small bonsai in one hand. However, you almost never see a photo with someone holding a bonsai with two hands. Until now that is. This two handed approach gives the feeling that the tree (a rather spectacular Shimpaku) is being offered. This photo and the others in this post are from Japan Shohin Bonsai. One of the problems with photographing bonsai is conveying size. The easiest and perhaps best way is to provide something familiar for contrast. It used to be fairly common to see bonsai with cigarette packs … Continue reading A Bonsai in Hand