A Bonsai in an Unusual Setting (& Others)

It’s a little surprising that there are so few good shots of bonsai in creative settings. This one was borrowed from Peter Warren’s Surayama, as were all the photos in this post. Still catching up form vacation, so for expediency’s sake we’ll plunder our archives. This one is from June 2015. It was titled ‘Surayama – Shimpaku, Spruce & Several Others.‘ NEW SPECIAL 20% OFF BONSAI TURNTABLES INCLUDES GREEN T HYDRAULIC LIFT TURNTABLES – – This photo is from a series Peter calls Noelanders trees. (Noelanders refers to the Noelanders Trophy Exhibit). He doesn’t say what it is, but I’ll guess that … Continue reading A Bonsai in an Unusual Setting (& Others)

A Muscular Monster, Before and After

I found this Picea abies (Norway spruce, aka European spruce) before and after at Mandala Bonsai Ilona. Though it would be great to know just how large this tree is, nothing more than just the type tree and before and after is offered on the timeline This magnificent, muscular monster (sorry!) is from Mandala Bonsai Ilona’s timeline. In this case, the before and after process mostly involves bringing an already well established bonsai back into shape. With one new design element added; the first branch is now a jin (the bark was stripped and the resulting dead branch is left on the tree as an intentional feature). Otherwise, … Continue reading A Muscular Monster, Before and After

From Wild to Wild – Another Before & After Bonsai

After. This distinctive European spruce, aka Norway spruce (Picea abies) was collected in Switzerland in 1993. It’s now 25cm (10″) high and around 100 years old. The strikingly naturalistic pot (by Mateusz Grobeiny) and those little plants (succulents?) growing around the trunk and flowing down side of the pot add a strong natural touch. So natural that you might imagine stumbling upon the whole planting while hiking in the Alps. The artist and owner of the tree is Walter Pall. You can view the before and after together if you scroll down. Too much going on here today, so we’ll … Continue reading From Wild to Wild – Another Before & After Bonsai

Spring Bonsai Power

Norway spruce spring power is Mauro Stemberger’s title for this series of photos. What caught me about this tree is how natural it looks. As in the case of most of the best bonsai, you know that it has been styled, but styled in a way that you might call just so. Or just enough. Welcome to another Bonsai Europe post (six of our last ten posts have featured European bonsai). It’s not that we don’t appreciate what’s going on in the rest of the world… it’s just that from where we sit it seems like the center of Bonsai … Continue reading Spring Bonsai Power

A Natural Feel for Bonsai

I really like the natural untouched feel of this old Spruce. It brings to mind the rugged conifers of the high Sierras and Rockies. It’s a Norway spruce (Picea abies) by Walter Pall (from Bonsai Today issue 106). Yesterday’s post featured Walter Pall’s Bonsai, so let’s just keep going. This one is from the dawn of Bonsai Bark, July 2009. It was titled The Great Debate part 3: More from Walter. Now in 2017, the bonsai community has mostly moved on from the great debate (I don’t think it ever was a big deal anyway, but it does provide some insight … Continue reading A Natural Feel for Bonsai

Bonsai Dreaming (on Such a Winter’s Day)

I’m guessing that this is a Mugo pine that was originally collected in the mountains of central Europe (the Alps?). It belongs to Mauro Stemberger, a long time favorite here on Bark. Gearing up for the big push (the whole year condenses to next three or four weeks), so we won’t spend too much time here. Just enough to brighten up your day (on this cold grey and snowy winter’s day) with three of our favorite Mauro Stemberger bonsai from his Italian Bonsai Dream website . And to remind you about Stone Lantern and our Site Wide Sale. Continued below… We … Continue reading Bonsai Dreaming (on Such a Winter’s Day)

Before & After – from Wild to Wild

Before and after. This distinctive European spruce, aka Norway spruce (Picea abies) was collected in Switzerland in 1993. It’s now 25cm high and around 100 years old. The pot (on the right) is by Mateusz Grobeiny. The artist and owner of the tree is Walter Pall. The before shot is actually an intermediate shot, taken well after the tree was collected and had been styled some. Now, though you can tell it’s the same tree, the transformation is radical and far from a highly stylized bonsai. Often with before and after shots, the progression is from wild with potential to … Continue reading Before & After – from Wild to Wild

Bonsai Guessing Game at the Montreal Botanical Gardens

This vivid close up was taken by Bill Valavanis at the Montreal Botanical Gardens. The tree is a Chinese privet. To see a photo of the whole tree and a whole range of other great photos, visit Bill’s blog. Bill Valavanis is up to his old tricks. Exploring and promoting bonsai with flair and dedication. The result is one of the best bonsai blogs you’ll find. This time it’s the famous bonsai collection (collections actually, though the Penjing section was closed) at Montreal’s Botanical Gardens. I didn’t start out to turn this post into a bonsai varieties guessing game, it … Continue reading Bonsai Guessing Game at the Montreal Botanical Gardens

There Are No Rules (but What About Guidelines?)

Same tree, better photo. The original caption from a post two years ago started with: “Snakes. From Estação Bonsai on Facebook. I couldn’t find any mention of the artist….” We were none the wiser until someone offered this in the comments: “The first sabina juniper you mention is from Patrick Cremers..” Once we had a name it was easy to find the new photo (the original is below). However, I can’t tell if Patrick is the artist, the photographer, or just someone who posted this photo (confused yet?). Here’s a link if you’d like to explore further. We’re a little … Continue reading There Are No Rules (but What About Guidelines?)

The Godfather of Naturalistic Bonsai & Friends

We can assume this Azalea (I imagine it’s a Satsuki) belongs to one of the four exhibitors listed below. Actually, we might be able to narrow it down to one of three of the exhibitors (I couldn’t find it on Walter Pall’s website so, I’m assuming it is not his). The photos here are from a current Bonsai Exhibition at the Munich Botanical Garden. It ends June 1st, so you still have a little time. I originally saw the photos on Walter Pall’s facebook feed and then on his Bonsai blog. I couldn’t find any info of the individual trees … Continue reading The Godfather of Naturalistic Bonsai & Friends