Natives Is Here! Brilliant & Unique, Bonsai at Its Best

We’ve all waited long enough and now the Pacific Bonsai Museum’s Natives is here. We’ve featured some photos in the past, but now we’ve got the real thing. One hundred and five mind stopping pages. Now available at Stone Lantern Here’s the Museum’s description… “As artistic representations of trees, bonsai are collected from the wild to be cultivated as works of art. While the natural forces that shaped the tree are visibly echoed in its trunk and branches, the direct link between a bonsai and its native habitat has been lost. By displaying a tree with a portrait of its … Continue reading Natives Is Here! Brilliant & Unique, Bonsai at Its Best

The Foundations of Bonsai Vision and Artistry

Sabina juniper from Harry Harrington’s The Foundations of Bonsai (Stone Lantern Publishing North American edition). Harry’s caption reads: “This Sabina juniper was collected from altitude in Spain. It grew in thin stony soil and would have been covered in a thick layer of snow for 4 months each year. As a result, despite being at least 100 years old, it is naturally very small.” The pot is by Victor Harris of Erin Pottery. Height 6″ (15cm) Spread 16″ (41cm). The grainy effect is from our prehistoric scanner. The Foundations of Bonsai has arrived and all the pre-orders have been shipped. … Continue reading The Foundations of Bonsai Vision and Artistry

Bonsai & Penjing, Ambassadors of Peace & Beauty

This brand new book tells the awe-inspiring stories of bonsai and penjing trees in the collection of the National Arboretum in Washington D.C. A must for any red-blooded American bonsai lover and really, any bonsai lover anywhere. We are delighted to offer a beautiful new bonsai book for all of you who love our wonderful U.S. National Bonsai & Penjing collections (even if you don’t know it yet). It’s the next best thing to being there and as a bonus you get the awe inspiring stories of the trees, with some international diplomacy thrown in for good measure. A spread … Continue reading Bonsai & Penjing, Ambassadors of Peace & Beauty

Bonsai Shohin Passion

Shohin Japanese maple in early spring. Among other things that make this an outstanding bonsai is the way the shallow pot accentuates the trunk’s impressive girth. The photo is from Roland Schatzer’s new book, Bonsai Shohin Passion, as are all the photos in this post. A while back we got an email from Bill Valavanis recommending we take a look at Roland Schatzer’s new book, Bonsai Shohin Passion. Soon after that Bill sent an introductory email to Roland and to us. The rest, as they say, is history. Just in case you are new to bonsai, Shohin is ‘small thing’ … Continue reading Bonsai Shohin Passion

Pointing the Way

Three years ago when we originally showed this tree we didn’t have any idea who the artist was. We were none the wiser until someone offered this in the comments (from the second posting last year ): “The first sabina juniper you mention is from Patrick Cremers..” Once we had a name it was easy to find this newer and better photo (the original is below). This post is worth a third time. It’s rich in bonsai beauty and information. First time was titled The Trend Only Gets More Outrageous (be sure to read the comments). The second was There Are … Continue reading Pointing the Way

4th National Bonsai Exhibition Album Has Arrived

It’s here! It’s better than ever and it’s available at Stone Lantern. I was at the 2014 National Exhibition and the excitement in the display area was palpable. The trees were magnificent and, as in the past, the overall quality had improved from the previous Exhibition. Now we have the book… for those of you who couldn’t make it and for those of you who did make it and want to remember what you saw. Just in case you are new to this and not familiar with our National Exhibitions; every two years, Bill Valavanis and friends put together a … Continue reading 4th National Bonsai Exhibition Album Has Arrived

NEW Bonsai Book: Literati Style Penjing

Penjing Master Zhao Qingquan’s long awaited Literati Style Penjing, Chinese Bonsai Masterworks has arrived and is available at Stone Lantern. At a glance, we’ll give it five stars. Upon further examination, we’ll still give it five stars. I haven’t been this excited about a new bonsai book for a long time. The problem is, we have been writing copy for so long that we’ve exhausted all the superlatives; sometimes on books that don’t begin to measure up to this one. So, instead of saying much more, we’ll just borrow from the publisher: “Overview … the Japanese art of creating miniature … Continue reading NEW Bonsai Book: Literati Style Penjing

A Beautiful New Bonsai Book

Ginkgo. A close up of the cover tree from the new Crespi Bonsai Museum gallery book. We only occasionally devote a whole post to advertising and then only when we think what we are selling is newsworthy or warrants some special attention. It has been a long time since we’ve seen such an exceptional new bonsai book. Quality photography, materials and production combine with fifty blue chip bonsai that have been shot over time and from different perspectives in a way that makes for a thoroughly enjoyable bonsai experience. This excellent new book allows you a taste of the world … Continue reading A Beautiful New Bonsai Book

NEW BOOK! Gnarly Branches Arriving Any Day!

It’s somewhere in the northeast and getting closer by the minute. Any day now, any minute now, Gnarly Branches, Ancient Trees will come rolling in. I’ll stake my reputation I’ve seen most of the photos and much of the text, and I will stake my reputation (whatever it is) on this being one of the most inspirational and exciting bonsai books ever published. 30% – 40% off Book Sale It’s a good time to order. Books, tools, bonsai wire, turntables and more on sale now.

New Bonsai Book Due in August!

You can judge a book by it’s cover. The wild and wonderful tree on the cover tells a small piece of a story about an American bonsai pioneer who gets it right. Though we could say much more about this unique and beautiful book, we’ll save that for later. Meanwhile, stay posted; we expect it by late August. Five more days and counting Time is running out on our biggest and most popular sale ever.