Spring! Japanese maple by Morten Albek, author of Majesty in Miniature: Shohin Bonsai.
Could it really be?
Today we are experiencing our first real taste of spring here in northern Vermont, though we’re still a ways from leaves and flowers (unlike in Denmark, where this little maple lives, and where it never gets real cold).
A sweet little tree
I don’t know what the variety is, but it’s obvious that this very sweet little bonsai is a Japanese maple. Even though the tree is very small, the nebari is quite strong and lends a feeling of both age and stability. The two almost equal trunks are little unusual; bonsai and art conventions seem to prefer the more dynamic effect that unequal elements provide. But then, this is shohin bonsai, where conventions are broken as a matter of course. Besides, conventions will only get you so far anyway.
The minute I saw it I knew it had to be Morton.
Hi Bruce, yeah Morten has developed his bonsai signature. He also takes great photos.
It looks much better now than it did in his book. It’s amazing what he’s done to this tree in just a few years.
Ken. You are speaking of the top tree, right? The second tree is also in one of his books.