Fancy Bonsai Flowers

This Chojubai Dwarf Flowering Quince belongs to Michael Hagedorn. I took the liberty to crop Michael’s original photos for a closer look at the trees (all 4 uncropped versions are at the bottom of the post). It has been a while since we visited Michael Hagedorn’s Crataegus Bonsai, one of our favorite destinations and a reoccurring presence here on Bark. Anyway, it’s always best to let Michael speak for himself (from December 26th)… “A couple weeks back we photographed all the Dwarf Flowering Quince ‘Chojubai’ that were looking fancy, as they all decided to bloom at the same time this year. Which … Continue reading Fancy Bonsai Flowers

Bonsai that Don’t Bust Your Bank Account & an Important Natural Phenomenon You Might Not Be Aware of

We’ve featured this tree before, but because I don’t think you’ll see many bonsai quite like it, it’s worth another look. Two photos just below show the natural phenomenon behind this type carving. The tree is a yew. The artist is Harry Harrington. All the photos in this post are courtesy of Harry Harrington, an artist who specializes in what you might call found bonsai (bonsai from the wild or from hedgerows and gardens or wherever else the original stock might come from that doesn’t bust your bank account). Harry is also the author of The Foundations of Bonsai, a book that explores the … Continue reading Bonsai that Don’t Bust Your Bank Account & an Important Natural Phenomenon You Might Not Be Aware of

Bjorn’s Biggest Loser – Before & After – Fertilizing Old Trees

Before and After. This masterpiece Itoigawa Shimpaku was restyled by Bjorn Bjorholm at Keiichi Fujikawa’s Kouka-en Bonsai Nursery in Ikeda City, Japan, where Bjorn was apprenticing at the time. The photo is from a post on Bjorn’s Bjorvala Bonsai Studio blog, as are all the photos in this post. Continuing with our Bjorn Bjorholm theme (it fits well with our ongoing before and after theme as well). This post originally appeared here in April, 2013, with a few minor changes today In Bjorn’s own words… “This massive Itoigawa Shimpaku has a long history as a bonsai. It was first shown in the Kokufu-ten about 35 years ago, … Continue reading Bjorn’s Biggest Loser – Before & After – Fertilizing Old Trees

Is This Really One Tree in Two Pots?

Is this really one tree in two pots? Or is it a just a bit of tricky photography? This might be settled by more photographs taken from different angles, but this one is all we have and there’s no written explanation. Anyway, I’m inclined to believe that it is what it appears to be… but then we’ve been fooled before. It was posted by Trang Jira. His only caption is the word Diospyios* We don’t usually feature novelty bonsai (with the possible exception of halloween specials- see below). Still, and though one tree in two pots is a novelty, it is a decent … Continue reading Is This Really One Tree in Two Pots?

A Small Man Contemplates a White Pine from Below

I borrowed this delicious little gem from Michael Bonsai. Michael doesn’t say who it belongs to or what it is, but given his fondness for Japanese black pines, and given that it looks like a Japanese black pine, well you get the drift. We could even go a little further and speculate that Michael took this photo in Japan; he’s been know to do such things and the tree does have a Japanese feel Continuing from yesterday with Michael Bonsai photos and another plug for this weekend’s Mid-America Bonsai Society Show & Sale… KILO ROLLS ONLY 15.95 Only 14.35 per roll … Continue reading A Small Man Contemplates a White Pine from Below

Mame Master Haruyosi’s Sturdy Little Black Pines

The fingers belong to Haruyosi. As does this sturdy little Kuromatsu (Japanese black pine). And though I don’t know this for a fact, my best guess is that Haruyosi made the pot. Here’s Mame Master Haruyosi’s caption that appears with the first three photos shown here (from July 4th)… “I worked on decandling of small Kuromatsu today. Now a typhoon is approaching here” (it hit Japan this week and caused severe flooding in the south) All four photos shown here are all from Haruyosi’s timeline. If you get a chance, it’s a click worth making. You might also want to … Continue reading Mame Master Haruyosi’s Sturdy Little Black Pines

Wildly Unique Before & After Bonsai

Before and after by Alfredo Salaccione (Bonsailab.) The after version is so wildly unique that you’ll most likely recognize if you stumble upon it five years from now. And what a dramatic change. The way the branching and foliage has been moved and refined is dramatic enough, but then there’s the deadwood (upper left on the after shot) that has risen to new heights. I’m not sure how this was done. Alfredo Salaccione doesn’t say what the tree is, but based on some other trees on his timeline, and based on the way the foliage looks in the before shot, I’m … Continue reading Wildly Unique Before & After Bonsai

“Keep Calm & Carry On”

Once you get over the fascination with this tree’s gigantic girth – and your reaction (positive, negative or otherwise) – you might notice there’s a lot more going on than simply size. This photo and the others shown here belong to Ignazio Giambrone. European olives and exaggerated trunks are almost synonymous. For some of us, these monsters are worthy of high praise – with their massive girth (and great taper in most cases) – while for others these fat beasts might seem just a tad over the top. Mostly, I count myself in first group. Girth and taper are powerful … Continue reading “Keep Calm & Carry On”

Old Bonsai Beauty – Site Wide Sale Ends Tomorrow

This old beauty is one of hundreds of quality bonsai that was featured at the 2nd U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition. It’s a Nikko Satsuki Azalea that belongs to The Kennett Collection. It originally belonged to Kunio Kobayashi who started it by planting small Nikko’s next to each other. The 5rd U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition will take place September 10th & 11th in Rochester NY. See you there! Running a little behind schedule, so we’ll dip back into our deep archival pool once again. The photos and some of the text in this post are from May 2012. You may notice … Continue reading Old Bonsai Beauty – Site Wide Sale Ends Tomorrow

Wildly Expressive Bonsai

Blown up and a little fuzzy, but still… astounding! Some days you just get lucky. Yesterday I stumbled across the wildly expressive bonsai you see here. It was posted by John Romano (of Kaikou School of Bonsai fame). Here’s what John wrote about it: “One of my favorite shohin bonsai. Owned by a private collector in South Korea (bought in Japan). My good Japanese friend maintains this person’s trees. The owner is a collector and doesn’t show his trees (doesn’t care!) but has fabulous trees bought mostly in Japan. Is it really shohin? I don’t care! love it! Recent posts by … Continue reading Wildly Expressive Bonsai