Tropical bonsai

That Rugged Yamadori Look in a Tropical Bonsai World

An an ancient sinuous root stand in Robert Steven’s tropical bonsai world Continuing with Robert Steven (see day before yesterday) with some of my favorites he has posted over the years. There are many more to be sure, but these provide some powerful glimpses. They are all from his fb timeline  TWO NEW SPECIALS 25% OFF BONSAI WIRE FOR 3 OR MORE ROLLS 35% OFF ROSHI BONSAI TOOLS Specials include items already discounted – This and the other trees shown here all have that rugged collected-from-the-wild (yamadori) look   A simple tree with its gnarled time-twisted trunk, leans into the … Continue reading That Rugged Yamadori Look in a Tropical Bonsai World

Hanging Loose

Good full cascade bonsai aren’t all that common. Especially ones with such a relaxed feel (maybe it’s the way the foliage hangs so loose). It’s a Pemphis acidula. A common plant in Indonesia Continuing with Gede Merta from yesterday. This one is from our archives (April, 2015), with some changes today. All the trees shown here are from Gede Merta’s Bonsai Bali timeline THREE SPECIALS 25% – 30% OFF all BOOKS 20% OFF BONSAI CLOTHING 30% TO 40% OFF BONSAI AESTHETICS TOOLS Specials include items already discounted   Another extraordinary Pemphis acidula – And yet another. Gede Merta’s caption says … Continue reading Hanging Loose

Bonsai Artist, Connoisseur & All Around Interesting Fellow

This Pemphis acidula with its distinctive curlycue jin (dead branch) and its even more distinctive carved shari (deadwood on the trunk), was collected in the wilds of Indonesia by Wayan Arthana. The tree is 77cm (30″) top to bottom and the pot is 12.5cm (5″) high and 63cm (almost 25″) across. The artist and owner is Gede Merta of Bonsai Bali It’s been a long time since we visited Gede Merta. Too long in fact, considering his accomplishments as a bonsai artist , bonsai connoisseur and all around interesting fellow. All the photo shown here are from his Gede Merta … Continue reading Bonsai Artist, Connoisseur & All Around Interesting Fellow

Before & After Tropical Bonsai by Robert Steven

Before and after by our friend Robert Steven, one of the World Bonsai Community’s foremost teachers and innovators. The before photo was submitted to Robert by David Royinsyah. The after is one of a large number of digital simulations that Robert employs as a teaching tool. The tree is a Tamarindus indica, a type of tropical legume. The photos are from the Black Scissors Community. We’re in the throes of moving our website to a more up to date platform. So to keep things simple, we’ve borrowed this post from our archives (Nov, 2017), with a few changes today It has been a … Continue reading Before & After Tropical Bonsai by Robert Steven

Bougainvillea Bonsai, Before & After

Bougainvillea, before and after. Now you know how Suthin gets those thick trunks on such small bonsai… hint, he cuts older larger plants way back (obviously, there’s more to it than just that, but you have to start somewhere). This works best with tropicals that can handle the stress and have no problem putting out new buds Continuing with Suthin Sukosolvisit’s bonsai (see yesterday’s  post). I borrowed these photos from a post we did on some of Suthin’s tropicals back in March 2015 (with some doctoring and rearranging today). To enjoy more of what Suthin is up to, you can visit him on facebook … Continue reading Bougainvillea Bonsai, Before & After

Keen Observation & Considerable Skill

Windswept bonsai are few and far between. Especially really good ones like this. It’s not just a question of pointing everything in one direction. It must be done in a way that’s convincing. This involves keen observation and considerable skill We haven’t seen many bonsai from India, but if these trees are representative, I’m impressed. Beyond impressed really, they are that good. They were posted by Sanjay Dham. No varieties are given. TWO NEW 30% off SPECIALS 3 DAYS ONLY see below On the surface, literati (bunjin) bonsai seem simple enough. But it’s really about feeling  and subtlety. Like the windswept tree … Continue reading Keen Observation & Considerable Skill

Florida Cracker – Before & After

This Buttonwood is just a tad more eccentric than your average bonsai. Juan Andrade posted this and some other photos of this tree a while back.  Here’s his caption “Florida Cracker”, ain’t it? Sourced @ Olicata Bonsai Studio last year. Thank you Hiram!”* Today I set out to find a something that Juan Andrade wrote about four types of bonsai nurseries. Sadly, I failed in my quest (not defeated, just postponed), but I did find the photos shown here on Juan’s timeline and couldn’t resist. And if you’d like to get back to this tree’s source, you can visit Olicata … Continue reading Florida Cracker – Before & After

Tropical Bonsai, Not Exactly Your Common Houseplants

Tropical bonsai wasn’t exactly what came to mind when I first glimpsed this powerful tree. More like some old cold hardy conifer. But a second glance reveals the leaves. Could this be a Bucida spinosa (aka Black olive*)? Well, yes, it could be and I think it is, even the though the artist, Enrique Castano calls it a Terminalia molineti (if hacking through the thicket of plant names is your thing, you might enjoy doing a little research). It has been a while since we’ve featured tropical trees. This might have something to do with our bias for the cold … Continue reading Tropical Bonsai, Not Exactly Your Common Houseplants

Alien Bonsai or Just Some Unusual Tropical Trees?

I’ve never seen a bonsai quite like this. It would be unusual even without that long joining root and those stubby trees in the back. With these almost alien features, it stands alone as an one-of-a-kind bonsai. It is also the only photo in this group (from bonsai4me) to give the artist’s name (Richard R Gomez) and the type tree (Strebulus asper). Yesterday I woke up in Vermont. Today it’s Colorado. I could call it a vacation, but here I am working again. I’ll make it easy on myself though, by resurrecting a post from August, 2015 (Stumbling Upon Some … Continue reading Alien Bonsai or Just Some Unusual Tropical Trees?

Mystical Dragon and other American Tropical Jewels

Rugged dynamic deadwood. It’s a Buttonwood by Robert Kempinski from his Mahogany Row Studio. Today is our last full day of an all too short Florida Keys’ vacation. Tomorrow it’s back to the freezing North. Before we pull on our long pants and head out, this seems like a good time to take a look at some Florida Buttonwoods, our American tropical jewel.  The photos shown here and some of the text appeared almost exactly one year ago today. One of many Bark posts that feature Buttonwoods. This one belongs to Mary Madison. John Naka called her the Buttonwood Queen. … Continue reading Mystical Dragon and other American Tropical Jewels