This twisty little Japanese white pine was submitted by Randall de Rijk of the Bonsai Society of San Francisco. The pot is by Wendy Heller. I like both the pot and the tree, but perhaps one is a little big for the other.
You can still win a $100 gift certificate
Six entries so far means we’ll accept four more before we close the contest. Don’t be shy, a $100 gift certificate to Stone Lantern could change your life (well, maybe not, but you could upgrade your tools).
Matt Williams submitted this Hinoki cypress. Here’s what he has to say about it: “This Chamaecyparis obtusa nana gracilis is styled a little like a mature Scots pine. It was one of my very first attempts at bonsai styling and in many ways is rather naive. On somedays I’m not sure I like it and on others I feel quite affectionate towards it. I’ve nearly given up on making something of it many times and due to a complicated styling history it has a quite excentric character I think.” I like what Matt is trying to do, especially given that it’s one of his first attempts at styling, though (here comes a minor nitpick) the tree’s size and gold on the foliage suggests that it’s not a ‘nana’ (too big), but is an ‘aurea.’ (Chamaecyparis obtusa gracilis aurea).