Better late…
Don’t know how this happened, but we almost missed this one. The California Shohin Society is holding its famous biennial seminar in Santa Nella this weekend. I know it’s late, but it’s a great event and if you’re in the area, here’s what you need to know.

Santa Nella

Speaking of famous Shohin, have you seen our book by Morten Albek: Shohin Bonsai, Majesty in Miniature?

You don’t have to live in the tropics…
… to grow tropical bonsai (but it helps). At this moment, we might as well be in the tropics here in northern Vermont. Last night it rained so hard that torrentially is an understatement, and today it’s nasty hot and muggy. Still, it’s nothing like the tropics, where tropical bonsai really grow, rather than just survive eight months indoors.

Summer Sales
Bonsai Today magazines: 60% off the price that shows on our website
Stainless Japanese bonsai shears and other stainless cutting tools have all been deeply discounted
Embroidered Bonsai T-shirts: an additional 10% off the price that shows on our website
Netsuke Japanese figurines: new astoundingly low prices
Kenzans (flower frogs): 25% off the price that shows on our website
100 gram Bonsai Aesthetics wire now 1.90 per roll
Hundreds of other items, almost all discounted

Also from Pedro’s facebook photos. All it says is: Display Ganador (winning display) VIVA PUERTO RICO!!!!!

This cascade is from Pedro’s website. My apologies for cutting off the base of the stand (it’s a long story).

Tropical style tokonoma. Also from Pedro’s wall photos. Tokonoma is a Japanese word that means ‘display alcove.’

Tomohiro Masumi, Morten Albek & Shohin bonsai
Rather than bore you with my take on things, I’ll just post a few photos I think you might appreciate. If you want more (photos and information), you can visit Morten’s facebook post on Tomohiro Masumi’s visit to Denmark, or you can go directly to Morten’s website. If you’d like to dig deeper, you can also visit Tomohiro’s website. And then there’s always Morten’s famous Shohin book.

Though I couldn’t find this on Morten’s site, I’m guessing it’s his, given that it has his look and there’s other circumstantial evidence. I’m also guessing that it’s a barberry.

A close up of the sweet little companion that appears above. We did a whole post on companions a few days ago.

The whole display. When it comes to showtime, shohin bonsai is all about display. If you’d like to dig into the topic in depth, check out Morten’s book.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2079586075264&set=a.2079582755181.2128961.1413408458&type=1&theater

Morten Albek’s Photos – Tomohiro Masumi Shohin-bonsai demo in Denmark

Mis Arboles by Andres Alvarez Iglesias
The first three photos in this post are part of a photo album by Andres Alvarez Iglesias that appears on facebook. The title of the photo album is ‘Mis Arboles’ (my trees). The forth photo appears on Andres’ website.

All too fleeting
It’s flower time here in northern Vermont. Azaleas, Rhodies, Lilacs, tulips, early lillies, crabapples, you name it, it’s either busy flowering, getting ready to flower, or just finished flowering. It’s a blissful time, but touched with sadness…. here today, gone tomorrow and before you know it, snow. And then there’s the real big picture…

Another azalea showing off. It’s hard to tell the exact size of the tree, but judging by the flowers, I’d say it’s a shohin bonsai.

The fleeting flowers are gone. With a little luck (and diligence) the birds will spare the fruit. Looks like shohin crabapple.

Here’s the same tree that’s at the top of the post. A little earlier in the season, before the flowers completely take over. This one is from Andres’ website.

Have you seen our Satsuki Azalea book?

Novelty?
Usually, when something is billed as the world’s smallest (see below) or largest, or..?,  it moves into that surreal novelty realm. Would you say these tiny bonsai qualify? I’m not so sure. There’s an art to doing this and to keeping the tiny trees healthy. Still…..

A place to stay
The photos in this post are from Bonsai Guest House in Osaka. I know almost nothing about the place, but you might want to check it out on your next Japan junket.

$1,000 Bonsai from Scratch Contest idea
You could do this for our $1,000 Bonsai from Scratch Contest. Think small and win (well, no guarantees). Small bonsai (Shohin Bonsai) is a pretty good idea if you are at a loss for what to do.

With flowers no less. It’s from the same facebook posting by Bonsai Guest House.

From this, it looks like Mr Mitsuo was trying to create the ‘world’s smallest bonsai.’ Definitely the novelty approach.

Why you can win
No one has entered yet. We’ve had a couple threats, but no one has sent us any photos of the raw stock yet. The contest is wide open.

One suggestion
Do what Morten Albek did. He took a relatively large nursery plant and cut it way down to make a small bonsai. That’s just one idea, but it’s a good one.

Another suggestion
Do whatever you want. But do it! You’ve nothing to lose and plenty to gain.

Rules etc are here
Good Luck!

Speaking of Bonsai Today…
…. all back issues of Bonsai Today are now 50% off (that’s half price for the math challenged).

Could it really be?
Today we are experiencing our first real taste of spring here in northern Vermont, though we’re still a ways from leaves and flowers (unlike in Denmark, where this little maple lives, and where it never gets real cold).

A sweet little tree
I don’t know what the variety is, but it’s obvious that this very sweet little bonsai is a Japanese maple. Even though the tree is very small, the nebari is quite strong and lends a feeling of both age and stability. The two almost equal trunks are little unusual; bonsai and art conventions seem to prefer the more dynamic effect that unequal elements provide. But then, this is shohin bonsai, where conventions are broken as a matter of course. Besides, conventions will only get you so far anyway.

Bonsai from Scratch
It’s time to get start thinking about your entry in our upcoming Bonsai from Scratch Contest. We’re going to make it worth your while with a $250 Stone Lantern gift certificate for the winner and other gifts for outstanding entries.

Five easy steps to get you started

1. Find an untrained stock plant. Your choice of size, variety etc.

2. Photograph it from all four sides (and any other angels you want) before you do anything else.

3. Grab your tools and get to work. Take your time; the contest won’t close for months. This will give our snowbound northern friends a fair chance.

4. Take photos as you go. The more the merrier.

5. When you’ve got what you want, put it in a bonsai pot (if it isn’t already) and photograph it from all four sides (and any other angel you would like). Hint: an uncluttered background that shows the tree to its best advantage is a good idea.

Stay posted
We’ll be following up with more information, like: categories, judges, deadlines, and whatever else we think will enhance the contest. Meanwhile, it’s not too soon for you to start planning.

This is what Morten started with. Height 40″

Three cut pastes from Japan. $41.85, now $29.70

Morten Albek’s now famous shohin Boxleaf honeysuckle as it appeared in the 2010 Danish Bonsai Exhibition where it was part of Morten’s winning shohin display (see below).

Morten is the author of Majesty in Miniature: Shohin Bonsai (Stone Lantern publishing) and creator of the Shohin-Bonsai Europe website.

Here’s how it looked when it appeared on the cover of Bonsai Today issue 105 six years ago. Same pot, but if you compare this with it’s later incarnation above (disregarding that this photo’s is much sharper) you’ll see a tree is maturing in a very positive direction.

Moten’s winning display. In case your eyes are tired, that’s the Honeysuckle up top.

Morten Albek’s classic book on small bonsai is marked down from $24.95 to only $9.95. This is the only book on Shohin bonsai in English and is both beautifully photographed and thorough going in its coverage of the ins and out of styling and growing small and miniature bonsai.

As we’ve already stated, we can’t do this with most books…
… just the ones we published. We pay way too much for books by other publishers to reduce them this much. However, with our own books, we can do what we want; they were paid for eons ago, and though we’ve sold thousands of each, we overdid it when it came to printing (our over the top enthusiasm is your good fortune).

We actually didn’t publish this one, but thanks to Lew Buller’s kindness, we now own it. Which means we can offer to you at a small fraction of the original price ($9.95 down from $39.95). It’s the only English language saikei book in print, and is especially suited to people who are looking for inspirational ideas.