Harry Harrington’s Spectacular Bonsai

I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen a privet bonsai quite this spectacular. It belongs to Harry Harrington. We’ve featured it a couple times over the years, but this latest iteration takes it to another level. Here’s Harry’s caption… “So at last, here it is……..taken last night under lights, my Common Privet bonsai (Ligustrum ovalifolium), height 19″/48cm. In a handmade bonsai pot designed and built by Swedish potter Thor Holvila” Harry Harrington’s bonsai4me has long been one of our default websites when it comes to researching a wide range of bonsai and useful bonsai information. Harry also posts a steady stream … Continue reading Harry Harrington’s Spectacular Bonsai

Bonsai that Don’t Bust Your Bank Account & an Important Natural Phenomenon

We’ve featured this tree before and we may well feature it again in a year or two. The tree is a yew. The artist is Harry Harrington. Sticking with our friend Harry Harrington. We originally put this post together in September, 2017… All the photos featured here are courtesy of Harry Harrington, an artist who specializes in what you might call found bonsai; bonsai from the wild or from hedgerows and gardens or wherever bonsai stock might come from that doesn’t bust your bank account. For more found bonsai and other good news, you can visit Harry at Bonsai4me or on his … Continue reading Bonsai that Don’t Bust Your Bank Account & an Important Natural Phenomenon

Another Hawthorn & Harry’s Timely Reply

Another Hawthorn that belongs to Harry Harrington. It isn’t as advanced as the one we featured yesterday, but it’s full of promise Yesterday we featured a freshly repotted Hawthorn by Harry Harrington. Here’s the rub… the tree hadn’t been repotted for 15 years! As you might imagine this provoked some questions by several readers. So last night I emailed Harry and this morning I woke up to his reply (before you read on, I suggest you take a look at yesterday’s post). So here’s your answer, in Harry’s own words… “Ive been asked this quite a few times since Saturday! … Continue reading Another Hawthorn & Harry’s Timely Reply

Harry’s Famous Hawthorn

Harry Harrington’s Hawthorn just before repotting Here’s what Harry Harrington wrote about repotting his old Hawthorn…. “For the first time in 15 years, this afternoon I’m repotting this Hawthorn bonsai (some will know as the Informal Broom). And I can’t remember seeing quite so many white fleshy roots circling the bottom of a rootball……..I mean, it’s nice when you repot a tree and they are present, but this has hundreds!” In case you’re wondering why Harry is repotting so early, spring came to England ahead of schedule this year. You can visit Harry at Bonsai4me or on his fb timeline … Continue reading Harry’s Famous Hawthorn

Brilliant Bonsai & Grand Canyon Fall Color

Brilliant fall color. Sweet tree too. It belongs to Harry Harrington. Here’s his caption: “A quick shot of my English or Field Elm bonsai today (Ulmus minor), showing autumn colour. Height 17″/42cm. Developed from an airlayered branch 12 years ago, some of you may recognise from my book Bonsai Inspirations 1. Pot by Victor Harris of Erin Bonsai.” Still on vacation so we’ll dig back into our archives again. This one originally appeared in November, 2016. It’s in keeping with our somewhat current fall color theme. As a bonus, we’ve got a photo of full fall color Aspen from near the rim of … Continue reading Brilliant Bonsai & Grand Canyon Fall Color

American Larch & Other Bonsai at the 6th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition

A famous American larch (Aka Tamarack – Larix laricina) in full fall color (larch are one of a small handful of deciduous conifer in the world). The artist is ‘Larch Master’ Nick Lenz. It’s a massive tree. Much bigger than you might think based on this photo We (Stone Lantern) are bringing about 30 field grown larches to the 6th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition (September 8th & 9th in Rochester, NY – the one bonsai event not to miss!) Almost all of our larches are 15 to 20 years old and most are in nursery pots and have had minimal … Continue reading American Larch & Other Bonsai at the 6th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition

Before & After Scots Pine – The trunk provided a good start, but the rest sorely needed Harry’s help

Before and after of a Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) by Harry Harrington. The trunk provided a good start, but the rest sorely needed Harry’s help Harry Harrington has long been one of our main sources for good bonsai material (for good bonsai books too). Though there is room for a number of approaches to styling and refining bonsai, I like the rugged natural style expressed in this little Scots pine. It’s a hallmark of many of Harry’s trees, though he sometimes drifts into a more highly stylized, but equally impressive look. Especially with some of his carving (take a look at the English … Continue reading Before & After Scots Pine – The trunk provided a good start, but the rest sorely needed Harry’s help

The Beginning of Bonsai Time

A study in simple beauty. The tree is a European beech (Fagus sylvatica) that belongs to Harry Harrington, and the well chosen pot is by Erin pottery. The title of this post might be a little misleading, so we’ll call it poetic license (or maybe a metaphor?). Anyway, continuing our Harry Harrington theme, we’ll take a journey back to our first two Harry posts. The first is from March, 2009, Bark’s second month in existence, and the second is from August, 2011. NEW SOIL SPECIAL 30% OFF LIST PRICES ON ALL BONSAI SOIL – This Goldflame Japanese Spirea (Spiraea japonica ‘Goldflame’) was originally dug from a … Continue reading The Beginning of Bonsai Time

A Rare Bonsai Occurrence – Harry’s Flowering Privet

This flowering Privet belongs to Harry Harrington (as does the wristwatch). I took the liberty to crop the original photo (see below) for a closer view Our talented and prolific friend Harry Harrington is at it again. Here’s his caption for the tree shown here (from his fb timeline)… “I think this is quite a rare occurrence, one of my Privet (Ligustrum ovalifolium) bonsai not only flowering, but in scale with the tree itself! Collected in 2009 from a hedge growing in West London, this has always been one of my favourite Privet. Height 14″/34cm, 5″/12.5cm trunk diameter. Pot by Victor … Continue reading A Rare Bonsai Occurrence – Harry’s Flowering Privet

Small Is Beautiful (& Practical Too)

This banyan style dwarf Snow rose serissa (Serissa foetida microphylla) was styled by David Fukumoto of Fuku Bonsai in Hawaii. The pot is a Tokoname from Japan. Living in the tropics is a big plus when it comes to growing aerial roots. Monday morning, Stone Lantern’s peak season and the busiest time of year for bonsai growers, so it’s back to our archives. This one is from April, 2014 Based on thirty five years experience in bonsai business, I’d say that the majority of our readers and customers are into their middle years or beyond. I’m sure there are several good reasons for this, but … Continue reading Small Is Beautiful (& Practical Too)