The 3rd U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition Album Is the Best One Yet

This worthy old Japanese yew (Taxus cuspidata) from the Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection is one of 248 fine bonsai that are featured in the 3rd U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition Album. Here are four of the many things to love about the 3rd U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition Album: 1. The bonsai are a notch better than the second album and the second album bonsai are a notch better than the first. This speaks very well for the evolution U.S. & North American bonsai. 2. It has 32 more pages than albums 1 & 2 and yet is the same price. 3. … Continue reading The 3rd U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition Album Is the Best One Yet

Nick’s Natives

A famous tree by a famous bonsai artist. There’s a lot to like here, including the bark-deadwood contrast, the shift from the lower trunk’s subtler motion to the sudden S-shape at the top, the golden fall color, the pot, the moss. Even the sweet little companion. Two North American natives This post qualifies as another in our series of species specific offerings and a tribute to an artist as well. The tree is our native North American Larch (aka Tamarack, Larix laricina). The artist is another native, Larch Master Nick Lenz (aka Rarch Master Renz). BTW: I’m usually reluctant to … Continue reading Nick’s Natives

Ramify!

Robert Steven’s simulation of an Olive that was submitted by Gary Howes (it’s Gary’s second time, here’s the first). Ramification. In the almost two and one half years since we ran our first critique by Robert Steven, he has repeatedly emphasized the importance of developing branching (ramification), particularly fine branching (secondary, tertiary and so forth). Especially if you want to create the feel of maturity on a young tree (or any tree for that matter). And though you can’t grow new branches overnight, it doesn’t take that long to get a good start. How long depends on a number of … Continue reading Ramify!

Japanese Whites

A seedling? Great base, strong taper and nice balanced open branching. An altogether excellent Japanese white pine and it’s from a seedling no less! As you may know, most quality Japanese white pine bonsai have been grafted onto Black pine stock (see below). But not this one. It was grown from seed and is, as you can see, quite impressive. It was just wired (in this photo) by Michael Hagedorn (Crataegus Bonsai.) It belongs to a client of Micheal’s. More than just another bonsai in our species specific series. The Japanese white pine (Pinus parviflora) is one of the world’s … Continue reading Japanese Whites

Rim Shots

This has got to be one of the most magnificent Chinese hackberry (Celtis sinensis) bonsai anywhere. Though the distinctive split trunk needs no comment, you might also notice the highly developed ramification (fine branching). The tree was donated to the Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection by Ben Oki. We’ve featured it before, but it’s certainly worth another shot. Pacific Rim. Looking for an excuse to visit the Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection? These trees might provide some incentive. Dave DeGroot, curator of the Collection, sent us the photos along with some history and some of his observations. With the exception of our … Continue reading Rim Shots

Bonsai Truckin

Sheer power. This photo and one at the bottom of this post are from a chapter by Ernie Kuo in our Masters’ Series Juniper Bonsai book that’s titled ‘Two Studies.’ This now famous California juniper (Juniperus californica) also appears in a Bonsai Bark post from three years ago. This photo is from Capital Bonsai (Aarin Packard’s excellent blog from the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum). Here’s Aarin’s caption: Gary Wood, (seen here) a bonsai teacher from Muscle Shoals, Alabama had driven from Southern California to D.C. in 3 days with two very famous bonsai recently donated by bonsai artist Ernie … Continue reading Bonsai Truckin

Never Finished & Not Exactly Faint Praise

This Rocky Mountain juniper (Juniperus scopulorum) with its delightful deadwood and fluid movement was collected by Tony Cardoza and styled by Michael Hagedorn. Here’s Michael’s caption: “Finished tree. Or as my friends remind me, ‘No, not finished, that’s a dead tree!’ It’s quite alive. The tree is 24″ high, 31″ wide. The left lower branch is the key branch so it will need to grow out a bit. Left flow. In fact all the branches need length, as it looks like a small tree on top of a large base. I hope I’ve set things approximately right so there will … Continue reading Never Finished & Not Exactly Faint Praise

Scots Pine: One Artist, Four Trees

The Dancer by Mauro Stemberger. Mauro’s facebook caption reads: Never give up !!!! Swedish scots pine “The Dancer.” You can see that Mauro is planning a new planting angle and most likely a new pot. You might imagine a bunjin type pot (shallow, round, maybe a little rough…). Good Scots pine bonsai (Pinus sylvestris) are easier to find than good Austrian black pine (Pinus nigra) bonsai. For example, a quick search turned up all four Scots pines shown here in just one person’s collection; the omnipresent Mauro Stemberger. We could easily do the same with Walter Pall and perhaps some … Continue reading Scots Pine: One Artist, Four Trees

Small Is Still Beautiful

Kishu shimpaku juniper by John Brocklehurst. Mark Cooper took the photo at the 2012 Noelanders Trophy. I like the natural, fragile looking deadwood twigs and a whole lot more about this tree. Shohin again. We’ve been featuring shohin bonsai (small bonsai) a lot lately. Maybe it has to do with fact that we’re all aging and, as we age, smaller bonsai have larger appeal (easier to handle, take less space on our condo’s balconies and are a little less taxing on our social security budgets). Or maybe it’s just that we like them so much. All the photos in this … Continue reading Small Is Still Beautiful

Bonsai 2013 & Another Other

One we missed (see our last post). This classic informal upright Hornibrook Austrian pine or Dwarf Austrian pine (Pinus nigra ‘Hornibrook) belongs to Bill Valavanis. Bill purchased it as a young graft in 1969. He doesn’t say what the root stock is, but he does say that for more details you’ll have to wait for his forthcoming book (Classical Bonsai Art, see below) and that the original Hornibrook was discovered as a witches’ broom growing in Seneca Park, Rochester, New York in 1932. You gotta start somewhere. The list of 2013 bonsai events shown here is the result of a … Continue reading Bonsai 2013 & Another Other