Feed Your Bonsai (They Don’t Survive on Water, Light and Love Alone)

Your bonsai may never look like this, but they can be this healthy. It’s a Chinese Quince (Pseudocydonia sinensis) from this year’s Kokufu Exhibition. I picked it for a couple of reasons. First it shows early spring leaves (forced for the mid-winter Exhibition) and for some of us it’s early spring now. Second, this post is about fertilizing, and this tree is from Japan where bonsai growers know the value of timely fertilizing. It’s archive time again. The tree above appeared here on Bark a couple months ago. Most of the rest of what you see here is from an … Continue reading Feed Your Bonsai (They Don’t Survive on Water, Light and Love Alone)

Who Needs Flowers? Suthin Bonsai Before & Mostly After

After. This Bougainvillea is a uniquely compelling bonsai with or without flowers. Still, it would be nice to see it in full bloom, We’ll keep our eyes open and let you know. All the trees and the photos in this post belong to Suthin Sukosolvisit. Just the other day I wrote that Suthin Sukosolvisit is one of the great American bonsai artists. We could amend that to one of the world’s great bonsai artists. This post and all our numerous other posts featuring Suthin’s bonsai help support this contention. Further support can be found by visiting Suthin on facebook and his … Continue reading Who Needs Flowers? Suthin Bonsai Before & Mostly After

Bonsai Indoors: Ficus Gallery

This powerfully built gem is from Ficus, the Exotic Bonsai by Jerry Meislik. It looks like a Benjamina cultivar, though I can’t be sure because my copy of the book is in Vermont and I’m not. On the road number three Still on the road and just have time to put together a little ficus gallery for your enjoyment. Two are from Jerry Meislik’s book, and the other two are from the web. Big ficus fan If you want to grow bonsai indoors (winter or year round), you’ll be hard pressed to find subjects better suited than ficus, though some … Continue reading Bonsai Indoors: Ficus Gallery

Back Savers #4: Suthin’s Shohin

Suthin Sukosolvisit shows some serious stuff (sorry) with this powerful shohin (small bonsai) display. This type multi-tree display is the way shohin bonsai typically appear in judged shows. Check out Morten Albek’s Shohin Bonsai to see the rules (written and unwritten) for shohin display. Suthiin Sukosolvisit I’ve long been a fan of Suthin’s. Not just because of his shohin (though he is best known for those), but because he shows mastery across a range of bonsai sizes and styles. Still, shohin is what this post is about, and when it comes to shohin, Suthin is one of the best artists … Continue reading Back Savers #4: Suthin’s Shohin

KoB Shohin Willow Leaf Ficus by Robert Kempinski

Robert Kempinski (author of Introduction to Bonsai) has an excellent article at Knowledge of Bonsai on Shohin Willow Leaf Ficus (the photo above was borrowed from the article). Check it and a slew of other good stuff out, including a revealing exposé on nasty (but beautifully photographed) little aphids by Heather Hartman. While you are at it, take a look at two related books we offer: Shohin Bonsai by Morten Albek (Stone Lantern Publishing), and Ficus: The Exotic Bonsai by Jerry Meislik (Devonshire Gardens Ltd.).