Bonsai Island 8/17/12

I’ll take this to be an European olive, even though it looks a lot like a Florida buttonwood. No matter, it’s a very unusual and compelling tree; so compelling that it won Kuni Kobayashi’s Grand Prize in the 2008 Concurso Nacional de Alcobendas MMBA (see below for info on this year’s exhibition).

Island bonsai school
All the trees shown here are from Antoni Payeras’ Escuela de Bonsái (Bonsai School) gallery. Antonio, and his Escuela reside on Menorca (Minorca), one of the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean.

 

I like two small holes in the deadwood. Not that there aren’t other things to like about this tree; including that fact that it’s Juniperus phoenicea turbinata, a type of juniper that most of us have never seen. Wikipedia says that Phoenician junipers are a Mediterranean tree and that the Turbinata variety is confined to coastal sand dune habitats.

 

I’ll go with European olive on this one too, even though it also looks like a buttonwood.

 

I’m going with Rosemary (though I’m often incorrect, I’m pretty sure about this one). Either way, I thought this somewhat unusual tree, might inspire someone (it falls into the easy to understand how it did it category).

 

Another Phoenician juniper? It’s unlabeled, so your guess is as good as mine.

 

 

There’s still time to plan your visit to this year’s Concurso Nacional.