This strange, jumbled profusion of colorful leaves in a bonsai pot is from Morten Albek’s Shohin-Bonsai Europe website. It’s a Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) by Jacques Graulus of Belgium. BTW: Morten Albek is the author of Majesty in Miniature: Shohin Bonsai (Stone Lantern Publishing).
No harm intended
This is our first post on eccentric bonsai. Our intention is to explore and expand our bonsai horizons. Hopefully our observations are not too aggressive or offensive. However, it’s my view that anyone who is daring enough to put a photo of their bonsai on the web, should be prepared for evaluation and even criticism.
Beyond convention
I like good traditional (often Japanese inspired) bonsai. At the same time, I keep an eye out for trees that clearly aren’t in that mold, but are nevertheless compelling, or at least interesting. Like the jumbled profusion of colorful leaves in a bonsai pot that you see in the photo above. The contrivance of the trunk leaning on just-stuck-there-for-that-purpose rock, the unnaturally white deadwood that looks a bit like an alien growth clinging to the trunk, and the chaotic hippyesque mess of foliage, take this tree so far out of the traditional realm, that it’s hard for me to see it as a bonsai. Still, is there something audaciously daring about this tree, that’s worth our consideration? Or is it just a mess of colorful leaves and not much else?
Here a young Texas scarlet quince. It’s not exactly eccentric, but it is another example of what Jacque Graulus is up to. It’s from his website’s gallery. It looks a bit like a forty dollar commercial bonsai. Especially with it’s rock, patch of moss and cheap Chinese pot. Still, there’s something I like about it. Quince flowers (among the most beautiful on earth) don’t hurt, and I like the pot (cheap, if it works, is good), but is there something else too? Any thoughts?
I have been trying to consider what a cubist bonsai would look like. I have a couple of ideas but will keep them to myself for now :)
Come on. Let’s see your best effort.
Wayne, I like the quince bonsai even though it does have a Home Depot bonsai look to it. Perhaps its the rock….
I was hoping for more on your opening comment in your newsletter on lazy American couch potato bonsai. There are major differences between US bonsai and Japanese bonsai. Here it is a hobby and in Japan it is a business. At the business level bonsai professionals take the time to manipulate every branch down to the smallest twig with wire and make every tree look its best. I really like the results, however, I, like so many others, have a job, a house and land that need attention, not to mention too many bonsai and not enough time to create Japanese looking bonsai (not that I have that good of material). How do we address this? One way is following John Naka’s advice and selling half your bonsai and spending more time on what you keep. Do you think Americans will ever get to the point of hiring a professional to make their trees look their best?
HI Tom,
The lazy American couch potato remark was by my son Joseph, so you’ll have to take that up with him.
I think I understand where you are coming from. Like you, I’m not inclined (or able) to take the time to wire each little branch. I keep telling myself I’ll get around to it someday, and then don’t. As far as having too many trees, I’ve been sticking most of mine into the ground, thus reducing all kinds of maintenance time and trouble, though no doubt creating more work for later if I ever get around to digging them up. What I’ll most likely do is dig a few up every year and sell some of them, probably somewhat unrefined. We’ll see.
Meanwhile, good luck with your trees.
Wayne,
I like the little quince. I have an azalea I bought at a small, Chinatown shop several years ago as a cutting. I tended to it as we would any of our trees. I wintered it in the ground in my backyard, burying it under the shelter of a large juniper. It started out with many branches but, with each heavy snow branches were snapped off of it and I was forced to redesign from time to time. Now, it is a cute windswept tree similar to this quince. But, I have become emotionally attached and “love” my little tree. Now, I protect it from winter’s wrath and would say it is one of my best shohin (of which I have only a few – I prefer medium to large bonsai).
Hi Owen,
I like to see it. Send a photo if you get a chance.
A Virginia Creeper IS ALWAYS a chaotic mess of color.
No sense in shaping a Virginia Creeper so it looks like a bonsai….that would be traditional bullshit.
If you want to see some other pictures of my Virginia creeper see:
http://home.base.be/graulusjl/parthenocissus%20bonsai.html
Kind Regards,
Jacques Graulus
HI Jacques,
Yeah, I think it would be difficult to shape a VCreeper in ways you might associate with traditional bonsai. Though I would take issue with your term ‘traditional bullshit.’ Most of what we rely on in our lives is based on something someone did before we came along, so I think a healthy respect for much of what we call tradition is a good starting point.
when I wrote “traditional bullshit” I was referring to the way my bonsai was compared with a traditional shaped bonsai. I love traditional shaped bonsai! I even have some in my collection. But I am a free spirit and also want to go my own way. I agree we have to show respect for tradition, but we do not have to do everything like someone else showed us before. I know you were offended by the word bullshit, and I am sorry for that, English is not my mother tongue if that’s an excuse.
Kind regads
Jacques
http://home.base.be/graulusjl/