Judging Bonsai: Scoring vs Elimination and putting aside some people’s objections to the whole idea of judging, the results are in…

Whoops. The tree I missed in the original post. Too bad, because I have a feeling it would have placed very high in our reader’s poll (it placed 3rd in Method A and second in Method B – see below for the methods). Two weeks ago we posted photos of seven bonsai and asked our readers to rate them. No contest, no prizes, just for the fun of it. Putting aside some people’s objections to the whole idea of judging bonsai, the results are in. The trees are arranged from top to bottom (starting just below) in order of your … Continue reading Judging Bonsai: Scoring vs Elimination and putting aside some people’s objections to the whole idea of judging, the results are in…

Bonsai on Broomstick Bicycle

My best guess is that most of you will appreciate the inventiveness and the humor expressed in this mixed-media bonsai creation, though perhaps a few purists will take offense. It’s by Miyazato Rintaro (thanks to Colin Lewis for sharing it). You can find it and the rest of the photos in this post on Mr Rintaro’s facebook photos. A little more conventional, but still… the drum pot and the way the soil is mounded so high, the relaxed simplicity of the tree. You get the idea. Not mixed-media, but not so conventional. One base, one root system, two … Continue reading Bonsai on Broomstick Bicycle

Not Shimpaku: A Juniper Bonsai Non Starter

This lovely tree with its natural flowing feel is from a 2012 Bark post. The tree resides at the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum. It’s listed as a Procumbens nana, though I’ve never seen a ‘nana’ with such a massive trunk. Which begs the question… (the story is here). It’s archive time again. This post originally appeared in September 2013. It was titled Not Shimpaku and was supposed to be the start of a series on juniper bonsai. Like many starts in life, it turned out to be a non-starter (maybe later…?). Japanese Garden Juniper bonsai Shimpaku junipers rule. You … Continue reading Not Shimpaku: A Juniper Bonsai Non Starter

North Country Blues – Freeze Damage in Woody Plants

Roan Mountain landscape. We’ve shown this luscious planting before, but not when it looks like this. It resides at the North Carolina Arboretum. The photo was put up on the Internet Bonsai Club forum by Arthur Joura. The caption reads “This planting is one of a small handful in our bonsai collection that consists entirely of plant material that can tolerate the extremes of winter, and so it remains on the bench, on display in the Bonsai Exhibition Garden all through the year.” The statement ‘can tolerate the extremes of winter’ makes sense if you live someplace like North Carolina, … Continue reading North Country Blues – Freeze Damage in Woody Plants

It’s Later Now – More Taikan-ten Bonsai

A Shimpaku juniper from the 34th Taikan-ten Bonsai Exhibition. The photo is from Michael Bonsai (on facebook) as are all the photos shown here. It’s later (than you think). A few days ago we put up a post titled Taiken-ten Bonsai, Some Pines First, More Later. Now it’s later. So here they are, as promised. I’m going to go ahead and guess the varieties. Not because I’m brave (or foolish, though you could take issue) but because these look pretty easy. Looks like a Japanese white pine. Ume (AKA Prunus mume, AKA Japanese apricot). The bark is a … Continue reading It’s Later Now – More Taikan-ten Bonsai

Judging Bonsai – Just for the Fun of It

These seven bonsai were part of a recent contest. They are in no particular order here, just my attempt to randomize. The challenge for you is to come up with your five best in order. Explanations with each pick are welcome, though not necessary. The honor system. There is no reward for winning. In fact, we won’t choose winners. The reason for this is; the contest and results have been published elsewhere with some detailed explanations. We’ll post this information later, but for now it would be more fun to see your results, before you go looking for the original … Continue reading Judging Bonsai – Just for the Fun of It

Taiken-ten – Some Pines First, More Later

The top photo, with its rich deep colors, appears just the way we found it. I lightened up the bottom photo a bit to better show the details, especially the bark. All the photos in this post are from the 34th Taikan-ten Bonsai Exhibition. Taikan-ten takes place once a year in Kyoto and is considered by most people to be the second most important bonsai exhibition in Japan if not in the world (Kokufu is the king of bonsai exhibitions). I found them on Michael Bonsai’s facebook feed. There are more, but I decided to feature some of the … Continue reading Taiken-ten – Some Pines First, More Later

There Are No Rules (but What About Guidelines?)

Same tree, better photo. The original caption from a post two years ago started with: “Snakes. From Estação Bonsai on Facebook. I couldn’t find any mention of the artist….” We were none the wiser until someone offered this in the comments: “The first sabina juniper you mention is from Patrick Cremers..” Once we had a name it was easy to find the new photo (the original is below). However, I can’t tell if Patrick is the artist, the photographer, or just someone who posted this photo (confused yet?). Here’s a link if you’d like to explore further. We’re a little … Continue reading There Are No Rules (but What About Guidelines?)

A Grand Leap Down the Bonsai Rabbit Hole

This Mountain hemlock is one of the reasons I love Michael Hagedorn’s bonsai. Simplicity (understatement), naturalness (respect for nature and for this particular tree), balance, vibrant health and all the rest that makes a bonsai sublime are here for all to see (there’s also the missing pot, but that’s for another time). Now that I’ve waxed about the bonsai pictured above, I’ll go ahead and wax a bit about the level of insight over a range of topics you’ll find when you visit Crataegus Bonsai. Michael’s recent post on 0-10-10 fertilizer is a good example. Here’s just a little about … Continue reading A Grand Leap Down the Bonsai Rabbit Hole

The National Bonsai Museum, The Kaikou School of Bonsai & Other East Coast Bonsai Wonders

Foemina juniper planting that has that not-so-easy-to-accomplish ability to transport you to a natural mountain scene somewhere. The photo was taken at the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum by Mike Wigginton. I recently had the good fortune to stumble upon Mike’s Bonsai Page, a blog by Mike Wigginton that’s well worth a visit, especially if you are interested in bonsai happenings in eastern North America. There’s more too, but Mike’s enthusiasm for traveling the East Coast (especially to New England Bonsai where he is student at The Kaikou School of Bonsai) and his personal touch in communicating his discoveries makes … Continue reading The National Bonsai Museum, The Kaikou School of Bonsai & Other East Coast Bonsai Wonders