Barked up & Brilliant

Ume (aka Flowering apricot, Prunus mume). This brilliant tree resides at Bonsai Aichien in Japan. Ume tend to grow fast and bark up while still fairly young, so this tree may not be as old as it looks. Also, you might notice the deadwood. Ume are one of the few deciduous trees that hold deadwood over the years (lime sulfur doesn’t hurt either). Next month we’ll celebrate Bonsai Bark’s eighth anniversary. Our best estimate is we’re closing in on 2,000 posts (maybe more). Some, like this one, are reposts (Feb 2014), but most are new. Snow has been slow coming … Continue reading Barked up & Brilliant

Living Landscapes in Miniature

This planting from Toshio Kawamoto’s Saikei classic is quite similar to the planting on the cover (below): same trees (cryptomeria), same (or nearly the same) pot and somewhat similar rocky ravine separating two tree and moss covered areas. The main difference is that this one shows a deep ravine. The rocks that define it represent tall vertical cliffs. It has been about a year since we feature Toshio Kawamoto’s plantings from his long out-of-print classic Saikei, Living Landscapes in Miniature. Given just how popular these posts have been, I think it’s time for another go. A long time ago (January, … Continue reading Living Landscapes in Miniature

That Natural Look with a Daring Touch

Though the wood may have been painstakingly carved, this distinctive Pomegranate is a good example of a natural look. The living tree is not particularly stylized and the deadwood looks naturally aged. The unusual red pot (bright red bonsai pots are rare) adds a daring touch and sets off the new red pomegranate leaves, though you might chose a rugged earth-toned pot if you’re trying for a more natural look. I’m not trying to restart the old discussion of natural versus stylized bonsai. Just noticing how natural the two trees shown here look. This is particularly true of the pine … Continue reading That Natural Look with a Daring Touch

A More Efficient & Comfortable Way to Work on Your Bonsai

Prize winning Italian cypress on our Green T professional bonsai turntable. Every now and then we do a purely commercial post. This Green T add one of those occasions. But don’t go away just yet. If nothing else, you can dream. In Japan hydraulic lift turntables have been the standard for years, but their prohibitive costs have limited their spread in the West. Thanks to professional researchers and the collaboration of well-known bonsai professionals, we are able to offer you a tool inspired by the Japanese turntable and improved in several details (including price). Green T is bigger. The … Continue reading A More Efficient & Comfortable Way to Work on Your Bonsai

Hedge Bonsai #2 and Some Loose Ends

The other day we featured a bonsai hedge by Joe Selworthy (Dan Barton’s talented twin) and now here’s another one with this caption: “Picture of my first Cotoneaster hedge with Deshojo maple which I sold several years ago.” Though you can’t tell from here, there’s some impressive detail on and around the little fence under the maple (see below). Recognize this tree? It’s a Cheng, Cheng-Kung Shimpaku juniper that we featured last week. Here’s part of our caption: …there’s something very unusual going on here. Not that I expect you to read my mind, but still, the first person … Continue reading Hedge Bonsai #2 and Some Loose Ends

Another Excellent Blog by an American Bonsai Apprentice

Close up of a famous old Japanese black pine named Zuio. This and the other photos in this post are borrowed from Danny Coffey’s Tree the People blog. I don’t how I missed Danny Coffey’s excellent Tree the People blog for so long (going on three years) but somehow I managed. Happily, and thanks to Felix Laughlin (President of the National Bonsai Foundation and tireless bonsai advocate) the veil has lifted. Danny Coffey has been a bonsai apprentice under Mr. Junichiro Tanaka of Aichien Bonsai Nursery, Nagoya Japan, since 2013. During that time Danny also managed to become an intern … Continue reading Another Excellent Blog by an American Bonsai Apprentice

Winter Silhouettes at the National Bonsai Museum

Three point display with Trident Maple and shadow at the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum. The tree has been in training for over 100 years (since 1895). It was donated by Prince Takamatsu. The other two points are a Mt. Fuji scroll and a Japanese Blood Grass companion. The U.S. National Bonsai Foundation invites you to visit their first exhibition of the new year. Winter Silhouettes opened at the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum yesterday (Friday, January 8) and continues through Jan. 17. “Winter is the best time to enjoy the true mastery of the art of bonsai by observing … Continue reading Winter Silhouettes at the National Bonsai Museum

Living on the Edge

My best guess is that most of you will appreciate the inventiveness and the humor expressed in this mixed-media bonsai creation, though perhaps a few purists will take offense. It’s by Miyazato Rintaro (thanks to Colin Lewis for sharing it). Two of the photos in this post are new to us. The others, including the one above are from December 2014 post titled Bonsai on Broomstick Bicycle. I have soft spot for the outer edges of the art of bonsai. As long as the edges don’t slide over into novelty for novelties sake. In the photo above, the quality of … Continue reading Living on the Edge

Bonsai Hedge – Something You Don’t See Everyday

‘Joe Selworthy’s’ Cotoneaster hedge planting. Here’s part of what Joe has to say about it. “I can’t remember whether I posted this image before so I’m posting it now. It’s my cotoneaster hedge (grown from seed) with a deshojo maple and a style with sleeping cat. The “accent” is a wee painted bronze wren waiting for the cat to leave so that it can go to its nest in the hedge!!!” Running behind so we’ll borrow from our archives. This one was first posted just eleven months ago, but I like it (even though it’s a little embarrassing) and thought … Continue reading Bonsai Hedge – Something You Don’t See Everyday

Robert’s Bonsai Challenge – Which One Is Best?

Which one do you like best and why? This exercise is proposed by our friend Robert Steven. It’s one thing to glance at something and decide if you like it or not. It’s quite another to examine and express your reasons. One of things I like about Robert Steven is the way he challenges us to think about what we like and the choices we make. You might even go further and say that he challenges our whole approach; how we view the art of bonsai and what we are trying to accomplish. Robert posted this particular challenge on Komunitas … Continue reading Robert’s Bonsai Challenge – Which One Is Best?