One of a Kind Bonsai

This remarkable, one-of-a-kind tree belongs to Colin Lewis. Here’s his caption:. “Colorado blue spruce, acquired 2008 from Harold Sasaki. Styled 2011-2012. Pot custom made by my old friend Dan Barton, 2013. I’m letting it grow this year to refresh some old congested areas…” I’m on the other coast this week visiting family for Thanksgiving. It also happens to be my birthday today. Something I wouldn’t normally mention, but it’s been three quarters of a century and I’m just a little amazed and perplexed by the whole process and not altogether sure how I got this far. Anyway, I’m taking a … Continue reading One of a Kind Bonsai

Bonsai Forest, Bonsai Books, Bonsai Tools, Green T

This striking Sakhalin spruce (Picea Glehnii) forest belongs to Luis Vallejo. Seems like every forth post these days features Luis Vallejo’s trees. This is no accident; Luis consistently puts up great trees that are beautifully photographed. This makes my job easy. As is usually the case, the original photo (just below) came from Luis’ timeline. Huuuge Bonsai Book Special 20% TO 70% OFF LIST PRICES ON ALL BOOKS includes Japanese Garden Books Choose from over 50 Bonsai & Japanese Garden Books and enrich you skills and understanding this special ends Friday, Nov 24 at 11:59pm EST Here’s the original photo, exactly the way we found … Continue reading Bonsai Forest, Bonsai Books, Bonsai Tools, Green T

Bonsai Beasts of the Southern Wild

Beast of the Southern Wild. We don’t know the dimensions of this monster, but we know its name. It’s a Pithecellobium unguis (Catclaw black bead), a genus and species completely new to us (and probably new to you too). As you can see, this particular bonsai is about as unique as they get with nature doing most of the work and Nacho Marin providing the finishing touches. Getting ready to head out of town for a little mixed R&R and work (there’s always some work), so we’ll take a shortcut today. This post originally appeared in February, 2015, though from where we sit now, it … Continue reading Bonsai Beasts of the Southern Wild

The World’s Largest Bonsai?

That’s a human arm resting on the side of the pot. I don’t know what kind of tree it is, but based on the trunk and nebari, I might guess it’s a Ficus of some sort. I also don’t know where this monster tree resides. However, I do know who the hand and arm belong to. His name is Enrique Castaño, the author of Botany for Bonsai, The Science Behind the Art (Stone Lantern & Haskill Creek). The photo is from Enrique’s timeline. No information about the tree is provided. Is there a size limit on bonsai? According to Wikipedia, the … Continue reading The World’s Largest Bonsai?

A Bonsai Life

This prize winning Ficus neriifolia belongs to Ed Trout. I like its relaxed, almost sensuous look. Or if you’re not into anthropomorphizing bonsai, you might just notice its wide stable nebari and its stout well tapered trunk and leave it at that. All the photos in this post are from Bonsai Mary. In keeping with our tropical theme from yesterday and our mention of Mary Miller (Bonsai Mary) from the day before, I dug up this up from our archives (April, 2010, with some editing today) Mary Miller’s years of experience as a bonsai teacher, author and grower come together very nicely in her Bonsai … Continue reading A Bonsai Life

Tropical Bonsai Before & After by Robert Steven

Before and after by Robert Steven. The before is a photo that was submitted to Robert by David Royinsyah. The after is a digital simulation by Robert. The tree is a Tamarindus indica, a type of tropical legume. The photos are from the Black Scissors Community. It has been a while since we posted one of Robert Steven’s simulated before and after photos. In addition to being one of the foremost bonsai artists in the world, Robert is a bonsai teacher, so his before and afters are always information rich, with comments about style, technique, horticultural considerations and even bonsai history. Continued below… Brand … Continue reading Tropical Bonsai Before & After by Robert Steven

Buy a Level for Your Bonsai Bench – Even Better, Use It!

This Red maple (Acer rubrum) is from Michael Hagedorn’s Crataegus Bonsai Portfolio. To my mind it represents something basic about the best bonsai. The ones you might pass by while searching for something showy. I was lucky when I was there, Michael pointed this one out and told me a story about it. Now you can read that same story. Micheal, ever the poet philosopher, titled it The Blaze of Autumn Sweetly Burns. This post is a twofer. First there’s the tree above and an invitation to learn more about it and other trees that belong to Micheal Hagedorn. And second … Continue reading Buy a Level for Your Bonsai Bench – Even Better, Use It!

Tiger Bark Bonsai

We’ve shown this magnificent Tiger bark ficus (Ficus retusa) before, but not this cropped front shot. The photo of the entire tree is below along with several other shots that focus on sections. The photos and the tree belong to Nacho Marin. Bonsai Aesthetics Wire SPECIAL 100 gram rolls Only 2.95 500 gram (1.1 lb) rolls Only 8.95 1 Kilo (2.2 lb) rolls Only 15.95 I know we’ve shown this front view of the entire tree before, but it’s worth another look The base of the trunk NEW BONSAI TOOL KIT SPECIAL 30% OFF LIST PRICES ALL BONSAI TOOL KITS plus an extra … Continue reading Tiger Bark Bonsai

More Magnificent Mugo Pines

This superb Mugo pine has a distinctly natural feel. Almost as if someone found it just as is, growing somewhere high in the European Alps. Still, whenever you see a bonsai, a human hand is intimately involved. Even when the tree appears perfectly natural (in some cases, especially when the tree appears perfectly natural). In the case of both trees shown here, the human hand belongs to Georg Reinhard. We borrowed the photos from a post we did in November, 2010. It was titled Mugos by Mother Nature & Georg Reinhard Continuing with our Mugo pine theme from yesterday… I … Continue reading More Magnificent Mugo Pines

A Rugged Old Mugo Pine and a Lovely Japanese Garden

Close up of an old yamadori Mugo pine’s trunk. It belongs to Mariusz Folda. Here’s his caption… “Pinus mugo in training at IBUKI for 16 years.” IBUKI is Mariusz’s Bonsai and Ceramics studio in Bielsko-Biala, Poland There’s a lot to like about this old Mugo pine. Aged bark is always a plus as is deeply fissured, naturally colored deadwood. Perhaps most striking is the way the foliage clings to the trunk and primary branches, creating a low dense canopy that enhances the story of a rugged life at the tree line in a high mountain range (three in a row… don’t tell my high school English teacher). Maybe somewhere in the Alps in this case, … Continue reading A Rugged Old Mugo Pine and a Lovely Japanese Garden