Masters of Bonsai Technique

When I first saw this tree I thought it might be a Yew. But, the bark isn’t right, and even the foliage, though close, isn’t quite right either. Fortunately, Peter Tea solved the problem in his 2011 Taikan-ten Exhibition post. Peter’s caption reads: “This Yew Hemlock caught many peoples attention. It made sense that it took the prize for medium conifer. We don’t have any Yews here at Aichien because they don’t do well in the hot weather that we have in Nagoya.” As for the species, it turns out that there are two Hemlocks that are native to Japan … Continue reading Masters of Bonsai Technique

Michael’s Mountain Hemlock Clump After Some Serious Work & a Little Touch Up

January, 2015. Michael Hagedorn’s freshly touched up Mountain Hemlock clump. From Micheal’s Crataegus Bonsai blog. If you only had time to follow Bonsai Bark and one other blog, you wouldn’t go wrong with Michael Hagedorn’s Crataegus Bonsai. I won’t bore you by repeating the praise we’ve already showered on Michael in previous posts, but I will encourage you to visit Micheal’s blog and to serious consider reading his highly enjoyable page turner, Post-Dated, The Schooling of an Irreverent Bonsai Monk. 2010. Taking nothing away from Michael’s cheerful demeanor, or the planting, I think the best part of this photo … Continue reading Michael’s Mountain Hemlock Clump After Some Serious Work & a Little Touch Up

A Perfect Example of What Great Ramification Looks Like & a Series of Excellent How-to Illustrations

You have your own eyes so there’s no need for me to say much. Except that this photo appeared here on Bark last spring in a post titled The One Percent (.001 percent would be more accurate). It’s a Japanese beech (Fagus crenata) that received the coveted Kokufu prize at the 88th Kokufu Bonsai Exhibition (the oldest and most prestigious bonsai exhibition in the world). Aside from its overall magnificence, this tree provides a perfect example of what great ramification looks like (made even more obvious by the bright rusty-red leaf buds). The photo is from the World Bonsai Friendship Federation. … Continue reading A Perfect Example of What Great Ramification Looks Like & a Series of Excellent How-to Illustrations

Bonsai Ramification and a Leap of Convoluted Logic

This Japanese hornbeam (Carpinus laxiflora) is from Bonsai Art’s facebook photos (from issue 129 of their magazine). I’ll let you provide your own superlatives. No artist’s name is provided on facebook or in the magazine for either of the trees shown here, but I’d bet they’re Japanese. Last week we did a post on ramification which states the following: “the thing that most separates Japanese bonsai from much of the bonsai in the West is refinement. With deciduous trees this is most obvious when you look at ramification (branch structure and particularly fine branch structure).” Based on the source (Bonsai … Continue reading Bonsai Ramification and a Leap of Convoluted Logic

What’s Eccentric?

This wildly elaborate juniper bonsai is from Bjorn Bjornholm’s facebook photos. It’s a case where a darker background would work better, but borrowers can’t be choosey. Here Bjorn’s caption: “Procumbens wired and ready for its trip to Tokyo.” When I saw the photo above my first thought was… it’s been a while since we did a post on eccentric bonsai, so why not? On reflection however, the whole notion of eccentric is called into question. This has a lot to do with the sudden spread of bonsai throughout the world and the cross pollination made possible by easy travel and … Continue reading What’s Eccentric?

Masters of the Art of Refinement

We don’t usually feature photos with so much background noise. But this bonsai (Trident maple) is phenomenal and the photo has an artistic quality and gives you a sense of place (the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum). The thing that most separates Japanese bonsai from much of the bonsai in the West* is refinement. With deciduous trees this is most obvious when you look at ramification (branch structure and particularly fine branch structure). There are certainly other feature that express refinement, for example taper and nebari, but nothing expresses it more than the development of fine branching. All the bonsai shown here … Continue reading Masters of the Art of Refinement

360° Bonsai, No Hidden Flaws or Ugly Spots

Cheng, Cheng Kung starts with this view, so we’ll call it the front (south). I has been a while since we featured a 360 degree Bonsai. The tree shown here is from Cheng, Cheng Kung’s Si-Daio website (it’s been a long time since we featured Mr Cheng as well). If you visit Cheng’s Si-Daio you can watch the tree spin a full 360° circle. This 360° bonsai brings to mind an old discussion whether a quality bonsai should be attractive when viewed from any angle. No hidden flaws or ugly spots, no matter where you stand in relation to the … Continue reading 360° Bonsai, No Hidden Flaws or Ugly Spots

When Was the Last Time You Saw a Pink Bonsai Pot?

The more I look, the more I love this powerful little bonsai with its proportionally massive trunk and mottled tropical ocean-blue pot that accentuates its bright green leaves (it’s the coffee). The photo is from a section on Takao Koyo in the Japanese Bonsai Pots Blog. The tree is a Trident maple. This all started with a couple pots (below) by Takao Koyo that were recently purchased by Morten Albek and put up on his Shohin Bonsai Blog. A quick search lead to a Takao Koyo jackpot at Ryan Bell’s Japanese Bonsai Pots blog. Here’ a little piece on Takao Koyo … Continue reading When Was the Last Time You Saw a Pink Bonsai Pot?

Bonsai through the eyes of someone who possesses the patience and skill to take photographs worthy of the subject

Appreciating bonsai is about feeling. This especially true when you experience the raw power and beauty of the best bonsai up close and personal. They vibrate with aliveness. Lacking this direct experience, the closest you’ll come is through the eyes of someone who possesses the patience and skill to take photographs worthy of the subject. This post is about what happens when you marry quality bonsai with the highest quality photography. The bonsai shown here were all on display at the Winter Silhouette Bonsai Expo on December 6-7, 2104, in Kannapolis, North Carolina. The photographer is Joseph Noga. Our source … Continue reading Bonsai through the eyes of someone who possesses the patience and skill to take photographs worthy of the subject

A Method to Mike’s Madness

Looks like an old yamadori California juniper with its heavy twisted trunk. All the bonsai shown here were lifted from the Bonsai Blog of Mike Page. They are all rather unique and they all stray from the trees we usually feature, but to my eye at least, they all stray in more or less in one direction. There is a method to Mike’s madness. This Japanese black pine by Mike won the Yoshimura Award for the Finest Classical Bonsai at the 1st U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition (way back in 2008). The luminous grass, the unique pot and the … Continue reading A Method to Mike’s Madness