One Tree, Seven Pots – Which One Would You Choose?

Seven pots for one Chinese cork bark elm (the seventh pot is below – it didn’t fit that well in the photo). Which one would you choose? Most of this post was borrowed from our archives (January, 2014). At that time the choices you see were presented as a contest. Now we’ll dispense with the contest and just show the photos and let you choose if you please. If you would like to post your comments, visit Bonsai Bark on facebook. All the photos shown here belong to Boon Manakitivipart (aka Bonsai Boon), our source for almost all of our … Continue reading One Tree, Seven Pots – Which One Would You Choose?

Spring Bonsai in Full Bloom – NEW Bonsai Soil

You don’t see cascading Azalea bonsai all that often. This flowing full flowering favorite (sorry about that) is by Teunis Jan Klein. Speaking of Azaleas, we just put up our new Kanuma azalea bonsai soil I’m in the process of putting up some new bonsai soil that just arrived. So far the Akadama is up with more to follow. Anyway, it’s spring, our busiest season, in much of the U.S. now. So we’re swamped and need to keep moving. Still. I try to post every day and here’s my quick and easy one for today. All the photos shown here are from a post by Bonsai … Continue reading Spring Bonsai in Full Bloom – NEW Bonsai Soil

Powerful Shari, Brilliant Pot & Upside Down Maple

This old Taxus Baccata (English yew) is dominated by its powerful shari (trunk deadwood) The artist is Stefano Frisoni of Italy. On the road again today, so we’ll take the easy way out. The photos shown here are from a post we did in December, 2015. Continued below… NEW SALE 25% off our large selection of Bonsai Fertilizer well fed bonsai are healthy bonsai plus 10% off orders 100.00 or more and FREE Shipping on U.S. orders 50.00 or more Nice tree. Brilliant pot! Eleven years from stump by Mario Komsta (a regular here on Bark). It’s a Silverberry … Continue reading Powerful Shari, Brilliant Pot & Upside Down Maple

Calligraphy & the Origins of Bonsai

Calligraphy anyone? I don’t know if calligraphy was on Mario Komsta’s mind when he styled this remarkable tree. I do know that there was a time when bonsai that looked like calligraphy was popular and that many scholars agree that bonsai was, in part at least, inspired by the calligraphy of the old Chinese masters. This is especially true of literati style bonsai (bunjin in Japanese). Headed out of town this morning, so we’ll make this quick and easy. This post originally appeared here on Bark in 2013. I started out to continue our Hornbeam series, but got distracted by … Continue reading Calligraphy & the Origins of Bonsai

More Prolific Bonsai Brilliance

Always nice to lead with a little color. This cheerful full fall color Trident maple belonged to Suthin Sukosolvisit when we first showed it way back in 2009. I don’t know who the lucky owner is now. Continuing with yesterday’s fully fledged admiration of Suthin and his bonsai, here are a few choice trees dug out from our archives. Continued below… A great sale ends tonight Bonsai Aesthetics Wire Sale 25% to 30% off 500 gram Bonsai Aesthetics Wire 25% off 2-5 rolls (10.12 each) 30% off 6 or more (9.45 each) this sale ends tonight, Sunday at 11:59pm EST … Continue reading More Prolific Bonsai Brilliance

Suthin’s Small, Strong & Sweet Japanese Pines

This sweet luminous little Japanese white pine belongs to Suthin. A total winner, right down to the perfectly pitched pot and the vivid yellow-green moss. Even given the fresh scar where a branch was just removed, it’s still simply superb (must be alliteration day today). Another reminder of Suthin’s bonsai vision and skills. I don’t usually pour it on quite so thick, but there’s something about Suthin* and his prolific bonsai brilliance, that brings out my adolescent star struck nature. And I’m not the only one. Go to any show where Suthin is vending and watch the bonsai devotees gather … Continue reading Suthin’s Small, Strong & Sweet Japanese Pines

Magnificent Monster Scot’s Pine

This magnificent monster yamadori Scot’s pine (Pinus sylvestris) belongs to Andres Alvarez Iglesias. I cropped it for a closer look. The original is below Andres Alvarez Iglesias sent the photo above to the Bonsai Focus Golden Concave contest (see the poster just below). Judging from what I see here, there are some other very good trees (including several that we’ve featured here on Bark). They’ll need to be very good to hold up to this one. Continued below… Two New Excellent Japanese Tool Sales 25% off Koyo Bonsai Tools and… 25% off Okatsune Bonsai & Garden Tools Plus an extra … Continue reading Magnificent Monster Scot’s Pine

Hanging Out Somewhere on Planet Earth

Unknown type tree on an unknown cliff somewhere on planet earth I found the amazing photo above on Kuanghua Hsiao’s facebook feed. From there I was led to Jorge M. Suzuki and finally to Jean-Christophe Nef’s Arbres et plantes exceptionnels. None of these people and places yielded anything about what, where or who, though Mr Nef’s Arbres et… did yield some other astounding photos (below). Continued below… Two Brand New Japanese Tool Sales 25% off Koyo Bonsai Tools and… 25% off Okatsune Bonsai & Garden Tools Plus an extra 10% off orders 100.00 or more More cliffs and more stubborn … Continue reading Hanging Out Somewhere on Planet Earth

Daring Combinations

You don’t see pots this ornate everyday. Our source offers no information on the type tree or the artist. At least in English; what text there is, is Vietnamese. Speaking of, you may not know that Vietnam most likely has more bonsai per capita than any other country. Here’s some evidence from a 2014 Bark post. I found this photo while on my daily Facebook adventure. It was posted by Bonsai Nguyen Van Sau. You don’t see that many ornate or colorful pots in the West or Japan. The aesthetic seems to be one of restraint, where the artist is … Continue reading Daring Combinations

Fertilizing, Back-Budding & One More Hornbeam

This shohin Carpinus coreana* (Korean hornbeam) by Mario Komsta has appeared here before. As a companion plant no less (see below). No problem though. Any tree this good deserves to be shown more than once. As a companion or by itself. A few days ago I mentioned we were starting a series on the Hornbeam genus (Carpinus). There are approximately 40 species of Hornbeams on the planet and many, if not most of them are suitable for bonsai. In this case we’re showing just one by Mario Komsta. Unrelated to Hornbeams, but also by Mario is a piece on the … Continue reading Fertilizing, Back-Budding & One More Hornbeam