Bark

Backyard Bonsai #17

I like it when people offer a peek into their inner worlds. It’s a generous act. This one belongs to Zdenek Svoboda. Zdenek lives in  Skalica Slovakia, a place that’s a mystery to me Picking up our Backyard Bonsai series with a visit to Zdenek Svoboda in Slovakia (via his timeline on fb). There are plenty more great photos where these came from. If my count is correct, this is our 17th backyard display. Our first was Wolfgang Putz’ yard, in May, 2009 By the way, if you have a bonsai display in your backyard, we’d love to see it KILO BONSAI WIRE SPECIAL 16.95 PER ROLL ONLY … Continue reading Backyard Bonsai #17

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

Stupendous Bonsai – a Good Place to Start

Stupendous is a good start in the search for words to describe this old full cascade Pemphis acidula by Budi Sulistyo. Ahh, to live in the tropics where stuff like this grows everywhere (well, not exactly like this, but still…). I first saw it in facebook in an album entitled My bonsai by Budi. By the way, Budi lives in Indonesia I’d venture that we’ve seen as many astounding Pemphis acidula as almost any other bonsai variety. Especially if we’re talking tropicals. Yesterday we featured three (along with some other tropical wonders), which got me thinking. Why not take a … Continue reading Stupendous Bonsai – a Good Place to Start

Bonsai Waterfalls & Strange Beasts

Not technically a cascading bonsai, but the foliage does cascade down along the trunk. Almost like a waterfall. Speaking of the trunk, not only does it express more than enough power and grace, but the way the grooved deadwood at the base of the trunk twists around behind and pops out again toward the top adds a nice touch. The tree is listed as Pemphis which is a genus of tropical plants. The species isn’t given but when it comes to bonsai Pemphis usually (always?) mean Pemphis acidula Today’s featured artist, Trang Jira lives in Bangkok, Thailand. His trees are unique and unlike most of the trees we show, they don’t owe that much to … Continue reading Bonsai Waterfalls & Strange Beasts

A Magnificent Celebration of American Bonsai Coming Soon

Winner of the Finest Bonsai Masterpiece at the 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition. It’s a Mountain Hemlock (Tsuga Mertensiana) that belongs to Eric Schikowski. The photo is by Joseph Noga as are all the photos in Exhibition Albums 2-5. Just a friendly reminder… It’s time to make your plans. The 6th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition is the premier North American celebration of bonsai. The one event you don’t want to miss and it’s only a little more than two months away. We look forward to seeing you there! BONSAI FERTILIZER SPECIAL ENDS TONIGHT 30% OFF LIST PRICES  special ends tonight, Friday, June 22nd at 11:59pm Time … Continue reading A Magnificent Celebration of American Bonsai Coming Soon

Bonsai Boon with and without Flowers

This powerful old Satsuki azalea belongs to Boon Manakitivipart. The shot was taken just before spring pruning. Boon’s caption with this shot and the one just below is… “Satsuki azalea Debloom and thinning” Boon Manakitivipart (Bonsai Boon) is one of our favorites and has appeared numerous times here over the years. In addition to being a highly accomplished and prolific bonsai artist, Boon is teacher to many of the best American bonsai artists. The photos shown here were taken from Boon’s timeline. Three of them are first timers here. You might notice that flowers were removed during spring pruning on … Continue reading Bonsai Boon with and without Flowers

Elevating a Root-on-Rock Bonsai

With bonsai, it’s almost always the tree that dominates, even though the pot, (stone, slab or whatever) is considered a critical part of the whole. In this case however, it’s the rock that elevates the planting to extraordinary. Or, you might say it’s the rock and the way it’s adorned by the old tree along with the moss and ferns, that makes this planting extraordinary. The tree is a Japanese quince (Chaenomeles japonica). The tree, rock and moss belong to David Benavente. Staying close to theme, we’ll move from root-over-rock bonsai to root-on-rock bonsai. This post is from July, 2015, … Continue reading Elevating a Root-on-Rock Bonsai

A Different Kind of Root-over-Rock

A strange sort of root-over-rock. You might imagine that it started more or less like other root overs, but because the rock is so small, the roots grew under it and pushed it up, while also growing around one side and creating a firm grip on the rock. Though I originally thought the result might simply be an happy accident, upon reflection I think it was the intention of the original artist 40 to 50 years ago.* It’s just too perfect the way most of the rock, particularly the bowl is left uncovered and even emphasized. Like so many root-over-rock bonsai, the tree … Continue reading A Different Kind of Root-over-Rock

Great Root over Rock Bonsai & Great Roshi Tools

No source is given for this colorful ‘Seki-joju’ Azalea. My best guess is that the tree and photo are originally from Japan; it’s not uncommon for Japanese trees to remain unattributed (this is often the case in the Japanese gallery section in Bonsai Today magazine back issues). We found the photo on Bonsai Addicted’s timeline. Yesterday we featured a magnificent root-over-rock bonsai by Marvin Besa from the Philipines. Here’s a post devoted completely to Root-over-Rock bonsai that we originally featured a year ago NEW ROSHI BONSAI TOOL SPECIAL 40% off all Roshi Stainless Tools 30% off all Roshi Carbon Steel Tools Not only … Continue reading Great Root over Rock Bonsai & Great Roshi Tools