What Do Shohin Bonsai & Suiseki Have in Common?

The 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition Finest Shohin Bonsai Display by Melvyn Goldstein. The varieties are: Japanese Five-Needle Pine, Dwarf Hinoki Cypress, Trident Maple, Zelkova and Sargent Juniper. Unfortunately given that some of the individual trees were less well lit than others, the photo isn’t as good we’d like (Oscar worked with what he had). You can expect a better shot when the album comes out. One answer to the question above – What Do Shohin Bonsai & Suiseki Have in Common? – is they were both on display at the 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition and a prize winner … Continue reading What Do Shohin Bonsai & Suiseki Have in Common?

Stone Images, With or Without Bonsai

There’s a story behind this delightfully complex Suiseki for those of you who know how read such things. The photo is from the Pacific Bonsai Museum’s website. It’s there to tell you about an event that starts tomorrow (see just below). The following was lifted from the Pacific Bonsai Museum’s website: “Viewing Stones from Members of the Puget Sound Bonsai Association Suiseki Interest Group. April 3 – May 4, 2015 “Viewing stones, or suiseki as they are called in Japanese, are naturally formed stones valued for their beauty and ability to represent a scene from nature. This includes anything from … Continue reading Stone Images, With or Without Bonsai

Suiseki & Satsuki

This stone speaks of Death Valley or some remote spot on the edge of the North African desert. It”s from the California Suiseki Society’s 15th Annual Show, via Bonsai Tonight. A great debate? I don’t think we’ve ever featured suiseki (viewing stones) on this blog. We used to feature them regularly in Bonsai Today, with occasional objections by some readers. I’ve always felt that suiseki is a natural with bonsai, so mixing in a few makes sense to me. Perhaps this is a Japanese influenced view, as it seems that you see suiseki and bonsai together with much greater frequency … Continue reading Suiseki & Satsuki