American Tropical Jewel

Buttonwood by Ed Trout. The photo is from The Art of Bonsai Project. * I’m headed out for a brief Independence Day respite, so we’ll take the easy way out and plunder our archives once again. This one is from August 2011 (assuming we haven’t reposted it since then – there’s this issue with memory). I can think of two good reasons to choose it: 1. It’s tropical and it feels like the tropics lately here in northern Vermont where extended hot weather is rare indeed, and 2. Buttonwoods are an American tree and the most American of holidays is … Continue reading American Tropical Jewel

Omiya & Tiny Assassins

Goyomatsu. Japanese white pine from the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum’s gallery. The photos shown here are from the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum, with the exception of one unrelated photo (can you guess which one?). I took the easy path today and borrowed the content shown here from a post we did back in May 2012. Elegance. I’ve never been to the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum, but if the elegance of the display shown here is any indication, maybe I should start saving my yen. Assassins. Bonsai Mary (aka Mary Miller) has a good article on beneficial insects. There’s one … Continue reading Omiya & Tiny Assassins

Japanese Black Pine – Rushing the Future

A Japanese black pine after some serious trimming and cleaning up. If you look at the photo just below, you might notice that there has been some serious needle reduction too. The tree and the photos in this post belong to Boon Manakitivipart (aka Bonsai Boon). The first two photos shown here provide a simple one day (or thereabouts) before and after on a Japanese black pine. As you can see it’s a remarkable tree. I was especially taken with the perfectly striated bark and the way it seamlessly flows into the nebari. Another thing that struck me about this … Continue reading Japanese Black Pine – Rushing the Future

Ezo Spruce by Any Other Name…

One glance at this Ezo spruce and you know it belongs to Walter Pall. Walter sometimes refers to this natural looking untouched-by-human-hands style as ‘naturalistic bonsai,’ though if you go to Walter’s Bonsai Adventures blog where this photo is from, you’ll see just how touched-by-human-hands it actually was. And just how accomplished Walter is at turning pedestrian bonsai into naturalistic gems. Ezo spruce are sometimes referred to as Jezo or Yezo spruce (Picea jezoensis or Picea yezoensis) and even Sakhalin spruce, though that’s a really a different species (Picea glenii). Most (or perhaps all) of the specimen quality Ezo bonsai in … Continue reading Ezo Spruce by Any Other Name…

Imperial Pots Up Close

All the photos shown here are from a post on Kigawa Bonsai Blog titled Imperial Palaces and ‘Bonsai Pots’ in Beijing. We’ve cropped some (including this one) to give you a closer look. I just stumbled upon yet another excellent bonsai blog (I often wonder if, when we introduce you to a new blog, you’ll wander off and we’ll never see you again. I suppose it’s a chance worth taking; there such a wealth of good stuff out there and we’re all in this together anyway…). The blog is called Kigawa Bonsai. The post is titled: Imperial Palaces and ‘Bonsai … Continue reading Imperial Pots Up Close

Joan Miró, Paul Klee & Horst Heinzlreiter

This unique example of ceramic art is by Horst Heinzlreiter as are all the pots in this post. Just when I thought Horst Heinzlreiter’s pots couldn’t get any better, I discovered these wild and wonderful examples of art disguised as bonsai pots (that’s what I wanted to call this post until I discovered Ceramic Art Disguised as Bonsai Pots on some obscure bonsai blog). I spent a year of my youth in Europe, with a sizable hunk of that time wandering around art museums (one of the best things I’ve ever done BTW). Two of the handful of artist who left … Continue reading Joan Miró, Paul Klee & Horst Heinzlreiter

A Pencil and Paper, and a Desire to Improve Your Eye for Bonsai Design

Rococo bonsai. If you decide to try your hand at drawing bonsai, my guess is that the results won’t look a lot like this. We’ve featured this illustration by Ruben Roig at least twice (here and here), but it’s been a long time and Ruben’s skills are exceptional, so it’s worth another look. Consider this post an encouragement for you to try your hand at drawing bonsai (that’s three in row for those of you who love the English language). Or lacking that, you can simply enjoy these illustrations by people who excel at the art of drawing bonsai. There … Continue reading A Pencil and Paper, and a Desire to Improve Your Eye for Bonsai Design

It’s About the Moss, Our Masters Bonsai Soil, and…

A little shaggy and the pot is dirty but it’s about the moss, our Masters Bonsai Soil and a post we did a while back. An important issue came up in a post we did a while back about our Masters Bonsai Soil. The comment that provoked the question was by Andy Rutledge. Here’s what Andy said: Soil particulate size, especially at the surface, is important. These photos, the latter two especially, indicate problems in tree health will arise in the coming growing season. Be careful. In a follow-up comment Andy goes on to say: …particle size necessarily varies due … Continue reading It’s About the Moss, Our Masters Bonsai Soil, and…

Twisted & Otherwise Abused

Man made twisting. This little Shimpaku juniper was grown (in Japan) and shaped by human hands. Whoever grew it did a great job at creating a natural effect – it’s almost impossible to mimic the raw and rugged look that nature sometimes comes up with after hundreds of years of stressful conditions. The final styling was done by Masahiko Kimura. You can find this photo and the chapter that shows Kimura shaping this tree in The Magician, the Bonsai Art of Kimura 2. The following photos are from a post titled Creating Twisted Juniper on a blog that I happily … Continue reading Twisted & Otherwise Abused

Shape Shifting

Robert Steven’s simulation of a juniper submitted by Peter Woosley. Peter’s original is below. Last post we borrowed from our archives and featured the artistry of Robert Steven. Might as well follow up with more archival Robert (from April, 2011). Before we start, a quick heads up with a nod to our sponsor (while staying on topic): We are down to less than 200 copies of our Masters Series Juniper bonsai book, and, as it turns out, we are currently running a 25% off sale on all of our books. Enough said. A surprising shift Robert fooled me (once again). … Continue reading Shape Shifting