No Switch Last Night, Specials Extended & a Humble Bonsai/Landscaping Experiment

This photo was taken in 2010. It’s one of my small man made landscaping hills for field growing future bonsai. Most of the little trees you see here have been dug. Some of the ones that are still there aren’t that much bigger than they were nine years ago (this might have something to do with our seriously short growing season) I give up. For the moment at least…. We didn’t throw the switch to our new Website last night. I jumped the gun with yesterday’s announcement, and now I’m wiping egg off my face (humiliation goes well with mixed … Continue reading No Switch Last Night, Specials Extended & a Humble Bonsai/Landscaping Experiment

Bonsai Tie Pots – NEW Deeper Discounts!

We just started offering our remarkable New Tie Pots last September and already we’re closing in on 1,000 sold (during the off season, no less!). Now we’ve sharpened our pencil to make them available to more people. I think you’ll be happy with the results. NEW TIE POT SPECIAL 1-2 TIE POTS 16.00 each 3-7 TIE POTS 15.00 each 8 or more 14.00 each Discounts are applied at checkout Tie Pots have the potential to revolutionize bonsai growing The tie knobs are only part of the story the interior is ingeniously designed for optimal development of fine feeder roots … Continue reading Bonsai Tie Pots – NEW Deeper Discounts!

Bonsai Deadwood, Too Much or Just Right?

This unusual full cascade Juniper will no doubt put off some of our anti-deadwood folks, but to my eyes, it’s an expressive and dynamic tree. Cascade shots are normally taken from a point that shows the tree cascading down one side of the pot, but in this case the pot is hidden by the tree, which creates a whole different effect. Still busy putting finishing touches on our soon to be New Website, so we’ll take a short cut and dip back into our archives… All the photos shown here were taken by Andres Bicocca at the 2017 European Bonsai … Continue reading Bonsai Deadwood, Too Much or Just Right?

Juniper Bonsai & Other Kokufu Treats

A loop the loop Juniper at this year’s Kokufu Exhibition. I took the liberty of cropping* Boon Manakitivipart’s original for a closer look at the deadwood and living vein, as well as the unusual loop. Even with this closeup, it’s not easy to tell exactly what’s going on. But we’ll leave that to you We’ve been featuring some of Bill Valavanis’ photos from this year’s Kokufu Exhibition. If you’ve been following Bark for a while, you’ll know that Bill is one of our favorites. Today it’s Bonsai Boon, another of our favorites We’ll just show you some junipers this time, with more to … Continue reading Juniper Bonsai & Other Kokufu Treats

More Kokufu Bonsai, but Still Just Scratching the Surface

Full cascade Shimpaku (Juniperus chinensis Sargentii) at this year’s Kokufu Exhibition. I like the meandering play of the deadwood with the living vein. Something that works especially well with Shimpaku bonsai. This and the other photos in this post are courtesy of Bill Valavanis We’ve got some more of Bill Valavanis’ photos from this year’s Kokufu Exhibition. We’ll just scratch the surface and encourage you to visit Bill’s blog for more great shots Here’s a quote from Bill about the omnipresent Masahiko Kimura (The Magician) and his influence on Kokufu… “I saw Mr. Kimura and asked him how many bonsai … Continue reading More Kokufu Bonsai, but Still Just Scratching the Surface

Bonsai Forest Rock Plantings

That’s Ryan Neil’s hand (Bonsai Mirai) posing for a professional photo with a very large root-on-rock planting. Here’s his caption: “In the studio today with @hornbecker shooting for the Artisans Cup promotional material” (from 2015). He doesn’t say what the tree’s are. If you’d like to see the uncropped original, it’s here We’re on a bonsai forest binge these days, so let’s keep going. Though it’s questionable if you’d call these rock plantings forests, they do share the multiple tree and some of the landscape features you’ll find with more conventional bonsai forests BONSAI TURNTABLE SPECIAL TURNTABLES ARE ALL INDIVIDUALLY … Continue reading Bonsai Forest Rock Plantings

Two More Bonsai & Two Special Events at the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum

This dynamic and wild looking Shimpaku juniper, aka Sargent’s juniper (Juniperus chinensis var. Sargentii), with its barely visible living vein (or veins?), was donated to the U.S. National Bonsai & Penjing Museum (Japanese Collection) by Kenichi Oguchi in 1976. It has been in training since 1905. The Museum’s logo (below) was inspired by this tree Today we’ve got two special events from the U.S. National Bonsai & Penjing Museum, sandwiched between a couple Junipers from the Museum’s Japanese Collection. Stay posted for more events and more magnificent trees from the Museum’s new website PHOTOGRAPHING BONSAI WITH STEPHEN VOSS Feb 9, … Continue reading Two More Bonsai & Two Special Events at the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum

Sheer Bonsai Power – Before & After

We usually start Before and After posts with an appropriate B & A photo (see below). But I couldn’t resist this one. I think it captures the essence of the tree. Or at least its size and sheer power I found this impressive before and after pine on Luis Vallejo’s timeline. The only caption provided is… “Hiroaki Suzuki , Pinus sylvestris, Luis Vallejo Bonsái Garden.” We know Luis from numerous posts here on Bark and we also know a bit about Pinus sylvestris (Scots pine). I’m not familiar with Hiroaki Suzuki, but if you’d like to do a little research, here’s a link for you … Continue reading Sheer Bonsai Power – Before & After

Happy Root-Over-Rock Bonsai Holidays

Suthin’s “Happy Holidays to all” tree. It’s a Trident maple root-over-rock (root devouring rock). Staying close to home today, it’s our old friend Suthin Sukosolvisit offering some bonsai wizardry just in time for the New Year Bonsai Pot & Soil Specials End Tonight Friday, Dec 28th at 11:59pm EST Plus Two New Specials at Stone Lantern see below – Cropped for a closer look at how the trunk is slowly devouring the rock Suthin’s caption says simply… “New home” You might recognize this as the tree that won Best Bonsai at the 6th U.S. National. It’s a Japanese black pine Cropped for … Continue reading Happy Root-Over-Rock Bonsai Holidays

Happy Bonsai Solstice

I don’t know if this qualifies as a Christmas tree, but it does give you a pretty good idea of what northern Vermont looks like this time of year (this photo was taken several years ago… it rained last night and melted most of the snow* and the sky is grey… oh well). I hope you and your loved ones are enjoying a relaxing Holiday Season (easier said than done!) and that you have a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah (a little late), Sweet Solstice (today) and whatever you might celebrate. And that you enjoy a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year – – If you’ve been … Continue reading Happy Bonsai Solstice