Post-Dated Wins Gold!

This cropped cover shot of Michael Hagedorn’s Post Dated provides a powerful hint why the Publishers Association of the West choose it for a Gold Award in design. If you been following this blog for a while, you know that we featured a review of Michael Hagedorn’s ground breaking book and a two part interview with Michael in February. Since then, my enthusiasm for Michael’s fascinating bonsai and life adventures in Japan, hasn’t wavered a bit. It’s still a great book and I still recommend it with the full confidence that you will enjoy it as much as I have.

In Search of the Perfect Nebari – part three

This rather nice looking Trident maple (Acer buergerianum) is sporting a monstrous nebari. Does it look a bit like a clown’s oversized shoes? Or does it suit your fancy just as it is? The original appears in Bonsai Today issue 70 in an article titled “Transplanting to increase the feeling of age,” by Kazunori Kamiya.

In Search of the Perfect Nebari – part two

This Chinese quince (Pseudocydonia sinensis) presents a number of striking features, not the least of which is its powerful nebari (surface roots). The photo originally appeared in Bonsai Today issue 35. This post is part of an article that originally appeared in Bonsai Today issue 23 (out of print). It was later revised and republished in Bonsai Today issue 102. Improving a Nebari by Oishi Kazo Nebari are often under-appreciated, especially in the west. In Japan, bonsai artists will sometimes talk about nebari as though it is the most important feature when looking for bonsai material. If you think about … Continue reading In Search of the Perfect Nebari – part two

Two Masterpieces by Saburo Kato

Ezo spruce (Picea glehnii) was Saburo Kato’s favorite tree. This one is from an untranslated Japanese book on Mr. Kato’s bonsai that his son Hatsuji sent us in appreciation for the gift we (Stone Lantern) sent Mr. Kato’s family when he passed away last year. I picked this one for a couple reasons. First, there’s the dead tree. You see dead trees in bonsai forests occasionally, but not that often. In nature however, dead trees abound, so why not put them in you bonsai plantings? The other feature that strikes me is the lush forest floor. I don’t know if … Continue reading Two Masterpieces by Saburo Kato

How to fertilize for a better nebari

This very useful tip comes courtesy of from Michael Hagedorn of Crataegus Bonsai, author of Post Dated: The Schooling of an Irreverent Bonsai Monk. For those of you who like growing maples and other deciduous trees that might develop a marvelous fused nebari, when that tree is young, fertilize right next to the trunk of the tree. Fine fusable roots will grow right under your fertilizer cakes, the kind that develop into the solid nebari pancakes that we see on really old bonsai and trees in the wild. If we fertilize only at the outside of the root system, the … Continue reading How to fertilize for a better nebari

Kato sama, Kato sensei, but never Kato san

This photo of Saburo Kato was taken by Morten Albek in June of 2005 during an interview he and two friends conducted with Mr. Kato, Japan’s most famous bonsai master of his generation. Kato sensei passed away in February 2008. I only saw Saburo Kato once. It was in 2005 at the WBC (World Bonsai Convention) in Washington DC. I was busy selling books and magazines from our booth when he walked by. He was immistakenly unmistakenly himself, very old and thin, with an air that radiated dignity. I was so taken by surprise that I blurted out “Kato san!” … Continue reading Kato sama, Kato sensei, but never Kato san

Artofbonsai Nursery Stock Bonsai Gallery

Sinuous root style Rockspray Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster horizontalis) in splendid fall color, by Bill Valavanis of International Bonsai. When I first started playing with bonsai almost thirty years ago, nurseries were bonsai stock gold mines. Now, because bonsai enthusiasts have caught on, old forgotten potential bonsai are a little harder to to find. But don’t lose heart, they are still there. You just have to look a little harder. Bill Valavanis’ sweet sinuous root Cotoneaster (above) is one of many bonsai from nursery stock currently feature on Artofbonsai.org. Some other well-known featured artists are: Walter Pall, Morten Albek (author of Shohin … Continue reading Artofbonsai Nursery Stock Bonsai Gallery

Vaughn Banting; Artist, Adventurer & Friend

Two of Vaughn Banting’s beautiful maple bonsai in a memorial evening display. The following is from the NBF Winter 2008 Bulletin: Vaughn Banting, a long-time member of the National Bonsai Foundation Board of Directors and an ardent supporter of the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum, died in New Orleans, Louisiana on October 11, 2008 after a brief illness. A garden designer and horticulturist, a war veteran and adventurist, a bonsai artist and haiku writer, a teacher and friend, he possessed an undaunted spirit that gave hope to all who knew him. For the complete article, including more photos (and the … Continue reading Vaughn Banting; Artist, Adventurer & Friend