Two Pines Before & After, plus a Short Treatise on Bunjin

After. Japanese red pine (Pinus densiflora) by Naoki Maeoka. Not to be confused with our native Red pine (Pinus resinosa) which are common here in Vermont, but alas, are not great bonsai subjects (unlike the Japanese red pine). If you look at the trunk it’s obvious why they call them red pines (the same goes for our native red pine). On a more frivolous note, I can’t help but think of a ski jumper every time I see this remarkable tree. A talented new kid on the block. Both of the trees shown here are from Naoki Maeoka’s face book … Continue reading Two Pines Before & After, plus a Short Treatise on Bunjin

Satsuki Azalea Trimming Lesson

This old Satsuki azalea, with its massive trunk and wild display of mixed up flowers is from our Satsuki Azaleas for Bonsai & Azalea Enthusiasts book by Robert Z. Callaham (Stone Lantern Publishing). Trying to get out of town for a little R&R, so thought I’d dig this short and sweet Azalea post out of our archives. It’s from the early years (February 2010). Satsuki shears are used to shape azaleas after the spring bloom and before the new buds set in the late summer/early fall. Not only does this technique keep azaleas in shape, it can also increase next … Continue reading Satsuki Azalea Trimming Lesson

Still Crazy…

It’s hard to deny the mind stopping power and originality of this bonsai. It’s by Luis Vila and the photo is by Salvador De Los Reyes. We pinched it from Empire Bonsai (apologies to Salvador and Empire for our crop; we wanted to maximize the tree). I usually try to come up with a good excuse for resorting to our archives (rather than going to the trouble to come up with something new), but today there’s no good excuse. Unless you think laziness qualifies. This post originally appeared in November 2013. It was titled ‘Crazy Bonsai.’ Beyond laziness, another reason … Continue reading Still Crazy…

Deadwood, Bark and Other Bonsai Fragments

I’ve long been fascinated by close ups. Shots that provided details that you sometimes miss with regular bonsai photos. Especially deadwood and bark details. Maybe it’s because both deadwood and bark tell stories about time, and time (or at least the illusion of time) provides much of the beauty and mystery of the best bonsai. All the photos shown here are by Salvador De Los Reyes. I believe that all but one of these photos are of his trees (here and here are couple earlier Bark posts that feature Salvador’s bonsai). You can view more photos of Salvador’s bonsai on … Continue reading Deadwood, Bark and Other Bonsai Fragments

A Famous Olive by a Famous American Bonsai Artist

This dramatic European olive forest on a rooted burl is by Melba Tucker. It’s borrowed from The National Bonsai Foundation‘s 2008 calendar. Winging it back to the ice palace today, so we’ll plunder our archives once again. This one dates way back to the Stone Ages (so to speak). January 2010 to be exact. Though it goes without saying This old gem (above) looks like a forest growing on a rocky ledge somewhere in Spain (or anywhere else olives grow) and, though it goes without saying, I’ll say it anyway: it’s one of the most wonderful, natural looking burl style … Continue reading A Famous Olive by a Famous American Bonsai Artist

Not All the Best Bonsai Are For Sale, But There Are More Than Enough If You Know Where to Look

This powerful pine was not one of the winners at the recent 2015 Kokufu en Bonsai Exhibition (widely considered the most prestigious bonsai exhibition in the world). In fact, it wasn’t even on of the entries. It was rather, one of hundreds (if not thousands) of amazing bonsai you might find in the sale area that accompanied the Exhibition. This photo and the other photos in this post are from Bill Valavanis Bonsai Blog. I am continually amazed how much Bill Valavanis accomplishes as a result of his lifelong bonsai passion. I won’t say much more except that you can … Continue reading Not All the Best Bonsai Are For Sale, But There Are More Than Enough If You Know Where to Look

Red on Red & Delicate Spring Beauty

There are few things more delicate and beautiful than fresh spring Maple leaves (Trident maple in this case). This exquisite tree and exquisite pot are perfect expressions of the artistry of Haruyoshi. Up at 2:00am yesterday and slept fitfully on the plane. I’ll use the ensuing exhaustion as a excuse to dig into our archives once again. This one is from last April. It’s all Haruyosi, which ties in to some of our recent posts. The only hard part with a post like this, is figuring out which photo to show first (the one that shows up on facebook and … Continue reading Red on Red & Delicate Spring Beauty

Paradise & Another Invitation from Toshio Kawamoto

My apologies for the fuzz. The original scan wasn’t that great and blowing it up so we can get a closer look has its advantages and drawbacks. We might as well plow forward with our resurrection of Toshio Kawamoto’s Saikei masterpeices. He called this one Land of Paradise which is a reference to the Pure Land buddhist tradition. We originally featured it in April of 2010. There are two things that jump right out about this one: First, the rocks. They are different than the wind and surf smoothed rocks in his other plantings and take us to a more … Continue reading Paradise & Another Invitation from Toshio Kawamoto

Another State-of-the-Art Saikei by Toshio Kawamoto – This Time in a Completely Round Pot

Enchanted lands is another in a series of plantings from Toshio Kawamoto’s Sakei classic. The tree are 3 five year old ezo spruce, 16 five to eight year old Cryptomeria (6-8 inches tall), 7 three to eight year old Satsuki azaleas and 3 three year old Tsutsuji azaleas. The pot is a round unglazed tray, 28 inches (71cm) in diameter (it’s hard to tell from the photo just how large the planting is). We’ve been resurrecting a series of plantings from Toshio Kawamoto’s classic Saikei, Living Landscapes in Miniature (long out of print), so let’s just keep going. And why … Continue reading Another State-of-the-Art Saikei by Toshio Kawamoto – This Time in a Completely Round Pot

A Multitude of Remarkable Bonsai Photos from Our Remarkable Bonsai Books (Book Sale Ends Tonight)

This luscious Satsuki azalea is one of a multitude of remarkable bonsai photos from the very aptly named, Fine Bonsai, Art and Nature. There’s a theme to this large gallery and a method to our madness. All the photos are from bonsai books that we sell and all our books are currently on sale at Stone Lantern. However, today is the last day of the sale. It ends at 11:59pm EST tonight, Wednesday, February 4th, 2015. You can find this somewhat unruly and very distinctive apple bonsai on the back cover of Nick Lenz’ landmark book on collecting, Bonsai … Continue reading A Multitude of Remarkable Bonsai Photos from Our Remarkable Bonsai Books (Book Sale Ends Tonight)