Bark

Two Powerful Bonsai & A Point of Distinction

This gnarly old Japanese white pine (Pinus parviflora) (completely asleep at the wheel… but thanks to our friend Ryan Bell, we now know that the tree is 2 needle pine rather than a 5 needle… thus a Japanese red or Japanese black pine)is from a Japanese gallery that originally appeared in Bonsai Today* issue 85. It looks a bit like something you might find on Point Lobos (more about that below). Artist unknown. This post originally appeared in January 2010. It was inspired by a visit to Point Lobos on California’s Monterrey Peninsula. Hyperbole aside, it’s one of the most … Continue reading Two Powerful Bonsai & A Point of Distinction

The Beauty of Bonsai and Masters Grade Stainless Tools

Looking though our image library for photos to use on our upgraded website (coming soon) and this one jumped out. It’s a Japanese flowering apricot from the The Beauty of Bonsai. We’re in the process of upgrading our Stone Lantern website, and have been spending hours going though our massive digital image library in a quest for suitable photos. Here are a few of the hundred or so we’ve pulled aside for consideration. I hope you like them as much as I do. Continued below… The following notice is for any of you who might be looking to upgrade your … Continue reading The Beauty of Bonsai and Masters Grade Stainless Tools

Shohin Bonsai… (Copper Wire Sale EndsTonight)

Judging by the leaves and fruit, I’d guess that this might be a dwarf Kumquat of some sort. Whatever it is, I know it’s small because of the proportions and because it’s part of Shohin display. Beyond that, I can’t read the Japanese script, so there’s nothing definite to say about the artist or the type trees shown here. The Shohin bonsai in this post may not be the most sophisticated or otherwise fantastic that we’ve featured over the years (we have over 200 posts in our archives where Shohin is at least mentioned), but there’s something uncontrived and basic … Continue reading Shohin Bonsai… (Copper Wire Sale EndsTonight)

Sweet Companions

This sweet little planting with its distinctive little pot belongs to Sigrid Brecht. No plant names were provided with any of the photos shown here, so your guess is at least as good as mine These enchanting little gems all belong to Sigrid Brecht. The Japanese name for these plantings is kusamono. However, if you feature them with bonsai, then the term is shitakusa. Or simply companion plant. We don’t usually feature whole posts on companions (or on suiseki for that matter). Based on clicks, most bonsai enthusiasts haven’t developed that much appreciation. But in this case, I couldn’t resist. … Continue reading Sweet Companions

Impressive Nebari, Wild Deadwood, and a Colossal Wire Sale Ends Tonight

I cropped the original (below) to get a closeup of this rather impressive deadwood. Even though there is no variety listed, the fresh buds look a lot like a Yew in full spring glory. All the trees shown here were posted by Luis Vallejo. Because Luis is a highly accomplish and prolific bonsai artist, we can assume they are all his (unfortunately, and due primarily to laziness, facebook and other online sites are rife with unattributed bonsai). Conitnued below… Our great sale on 500 gram rolls of Bonsai Aesthetics Wire ends tonight 30% off 2+ rolls of 500 gram Bonsai … Continue reading Impressive Nebari, Wild Deadwood, and a Colossal Wire Sale Ends Tonight

Cedars? Hornbeams? What’s in a Name Anyway?

Great trunk, brilliant fall color, excellent pot and then there’s the apex. This powerful old tree belongs to Wolfgang Putz. The pot is by Ingrid Kralovec. The tree is a Korean hornbeam. The botanical name is Carpinus turczaninowii, though you’ll sometimes see them referred to as Carpinus coreana. Up to my old tricks. The photos shown here originally appeared in March 2013.  There’s more history involved, but we’ll leave it at that. The two trees below are Thuja occidentalis, a tree that may have more common names than almost any other species on this planet… Continued below… Our great sale … Continue reading Cedars? Hornbeams? What’s in a Name Anyway?

Shohin Bonsai Exhibition – Roshi Special Ends Tonight

Shohin Shimpaku juniper. It looks like it could belong to Suthin, but there’s no identification or attribution, so that’s just a guess. If you know who it belongs to and you let me know, I’ll make the correction if I’m wrong. Thought you might like to know about the upcoming U.S. National Shohin Bonsai Exhibition. Bill Valavanis just posted this today, so it’s hot off the press. Continued below… Roshi Bonsai Tool Sale ends tonight at 11:59pm EDT roshi sets the standard for affordable high quality bonsai tools 30% off 2 or more roshi tools plus another 10% off orders … Continue reading Shohin Bonsai Exhibition – Roshi Special Ends Tonight

A Steady Stream of Innovative Bonsai

Premna serratifolia by Robert Steven. Aside from the immediate impact of the old wood with all the trunks popping up everywhere, there’s the counter-balance provided by the sturdy little trunk on the far left. There’s also that teetering trunk at the right hand tip of the planting that looks like its floating in space. Getting ready to embark on the long flight from SF to Boston followed by the three plus hour drive to Vermont, so no time to put together a new post for you. However I did find one from our archives (April 2013) that I think you’ll … Continue reading A Steady Stream of Innovative Bonsai

A Green T Bonsai Turntable will transform the way you work on your trees

Monster tree, monster turntable. The tree is a Holm oak that belongs to Raffaele Perilli. The turntable is a Green T Basic that also belongs to Raffaele. A Green T Turntable will transform the way you work on your bonsai and transform your trees in the process This year we are delighted to announce that we have increased our Green T lineup to two. Our original Green T Basic and our brand New Green T plus. This illustration should give you a good idea of the difference. Green T Basic is suited to people who like to work sitting down, … Continue reading A Green T Bonsai Turntable will transform the way you work on your trees

Chocolate Bonsai

If you read Japanese, you might learn something about this and the other bonsai shown here. Otherwise, you can do what I do; simply enjoy these sweet little trees (and other plantings) and their equally sweet pots. All the photos shown here are from Pinterest. If what many of us suspect is true, that the population of aging bonsai lovers is not being replaced in large enough numbers by younger enthusiasts, then we should be seeing increasing interest in smaller trees. Nevertheless, what we usually see online are larger, more dramatic trees. I suppose this makes sense as drama sells … Continue reading Chocolate Bonsai