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Armed for Bonsai

This rather surprising photo is from Bill Valavanis’ blog. After an initial whoa! what’s going on here, I wondered what he was listening to. Strange. Though these two photos speak very clearly for themselves, a little context might be in order. But I think I’ll leave that to Bill and his Welcome To My Bonsai World! blog where you can go and see for yourself. Aside from whatever interest the photos provoke, it’s always a link worth clicking.   30% off Bonsai Books our book prices are already discounted, so 30% off is a very good deal plus FREE Shipping … Continue reading Armed for Bonsai

Black Hills Bonsai, Before & After

Another Suthin bonsai on a rock. This one is a Black Hills Spruce (Picea glauca var. densata). The contrast with this photo and the before photo below will give you a good idea of Suthin’s vision and skill. These two photos beg more questions than I can answer right now (time constraints, you know). So we’ll leave them for another time. Meanwhile, take a close look if you have the time and see what questions come to mind. Both photos shown here are from Suthin’s facebook feed. Before. It’s hard to believe this is the same tree. In fact if … Continue reading Black Hills Bonsai, Before & After

Power, Elegance & a Bonsai Youth Movement

Sheer power. This impressive Japanese white pine was styled by Naoki Maeoka. In his own words: Every single branch of each tree was looked at carefully, and strong branches were cut, while leaving the soft ones to balance the foliage. Then I detail wired the entire tree to put the remaining branches in an ideal position. Trees were simply wired in these positions for the time being. It’s not the final goal of styling. It’s a new beginning towards achieving that eventual goal. The two trees shown here couldn’t be that different in terms of styles and effects. The Japanese … Continue reading Power, Elegance & a Bonsai Youth Movement

The Art & Science of Watering

This drawing is from our Masters’ Series book; Junipers, Growing & Styling Juniper Bonsai. This is at least the fifth time we’ve featured this post (with some text added and some edited), but spring is here for many of you and summer is coming, so the time is right. I know that many of you have mastered or at least are proficient in the art of watering, but you might be surprised how many people need help. In fact, failure to become proficient in watering is no doubt the single most common reason people give up on bonsai. So, don’t … Continue reading The Art & Science of Watering

Bonsai Yesterday, Bonsai Today, Bonsai Tomorrow

Wallpaper. From the cover of Bonsai Today 100 For the first time in eons, we have a full complement of Bonsai Today issues. Every single one, from issue 1 through issue 108 is sitting in our warehouse waiting to fill out your collection. Prices range from 6.00 dollar up to 80.00 (all are now on sale for an extra 25% off). The higher the price, the more scarce they are. Now to see how long they last. This California juniper was styled by Michael Hagedorn in issue 88 (a scarce one). If you’ve been around a while, you’ve no doubt … Continue reading Bonsai Yesterday, Bonsai Today, Bonsai Tomorrow

Another Immense Bonsai

This photo of what can only be described as a massive Sabina juniper was taken at Bonsaisense in Mallorca Spain, after two days of skillful transformation by Bjorn Bjorholm (and algunos amigos). Flashback. When I first glimpsed the tree above, I thought we were back at the Artisans Cup. I think this connection has a lot to do with this tree’s size and spread and just how many impressively large trees there were at the Cup. In case you wondering, the size of a bonsai isn’t what makes it worthy or not worthy. Still, size does add dramatic effect. Especially … Continue reading Another Immense Bonsai

Japanese White Pine Bonsai

This Japanese white pine shows a strong truck with good taper and nice balanced open branching. Most quality Japanese white pine bonsai have been grafted onto Black pine stock, but this one was grown from seed. When this photo was taken it had just been wired by Michael Hagedorn (Crataegus Bonsai.) It belongs to a client of Micheal’s. The Japanese white pine is one of the world’s emblematic bonsai. In Japan it is one of the two most famous classical bonsai species (the other is the Japanese black pine) and appreciation for its beauty and suitability for bonsai has spread … Continue reading Japanese White Pine Bonsai

…or You Could Just Sit Back & Enjoy Some Beautiful Bonsai

You don’t often see bonsai photographed in front of luminous gold screens or other such strong backgrounds. In most cases a neutral background makes more sense; you want the tree to stand out from the background, not compete with it. But in this case, I think we’re alright. The photo is from The Beauty of Bonsai. Today’s post features photos from some of our excellent bonsai books. You could consider this post one big ad (today is the first day of New Bonsai Book Sale. 30% off our already discounted prices), or you could just sit back and enjoy some … Continue reading …or You Could Just Sit Back & Enjoy Some Beautiful Bonsai

Powerful Pine Bonsai, Books & Wire

This has to be one of the most impressive bonsai pine forests anywhere. Actually, you can scratch the pine part and we’ll just leave it at one of the most impressive forests, period. Most of us would be more than delighted to have any one of these trees in our backyard, let alone the whole planting. Nice pot too. Looks a bit like an escarpment in the Rockies. This and the other photos in this post are courtesy of Robert Steven. We’ve shown all the photos featured here before, but they are so exceptional that there’s no harm in showing … Continue reading Powerful Pine Bonsai, Books & Wire