Junipers: Don’t Pinch Too Much!

Even if you’re one of those curmudgeons who complains about the overly sculpted look of some Japanese bonsai, you’ve got to admit that this powerhouse Shimpaku approaches perfection. That trunk draws your eye like few trunks anywhere, with its single living vein, mysterious hollow at its base and the spidery fingers and hole at the top. But it’s the tight lush foliage that I want to point out here; the result of some serious trimming and pinching. The photo is from our Juniper book. Artist unknown. Time for another Summer Rerun (this post originally appeared in 2010). This works because … Continue reading Junipers: Don’t Pinch Too Much!

Bonsai Redux: A Penjing Symphony in Three Movements

This super-sized three part penjing is by Robert Steven; renowned bonsai artist, teacher and author, and frequent contributor to this blog. It’s the 4th of July holiday weekend. Time relax a bit. Maybe do some digging in the garden or play in the water. Maybe both. To help make this happen, here’s something we’ve almost never done before; a rerun of a previous post (with a few small changes). This one is from December 2011. In Robert Steven’s own words “This is a super large penjing I did two weeks ago. The total length is three meters (about 10 feet). … Continue reading Bonsai Redux: A Penjing Symphony in Three Movements

Born in the U.S.A. & A Couple Recent Immigrants

Picasso’s (aka Dan Robinson’s) now famous wild and wonderful Hinoki. It’s from Will Hiltz’ excellent book, Gnarly Branches, Ancient Trees, about Dan’s life and work. It’s no longer available through Stone Lantern, but I think they might still have some at Dan’s Elandan Gardens. Here’s the original Bark post. It’s Independence Day (here in the USA at least)! To help you celebrate, why not enjoy a sampling of home-grown (and a couple recent immigrant) bonsai from previous Bark posts? But first, because many of our readers are not US Americans (and because some US Americans don’t know much about history … Continue reading Born in the U.S.A. & A Couple Recent Immigrants

Looking Into the Bonsai Future

This dramatic photo of one of Robert Steven’s masterful bonsai was borrowed from the Internet Bonsai Club. It’s our first taste of what promises to be a remarkable event (see below for some details). FREE ADVERTISING! Would you like to see your bonsai event featured here? If so, just send me a notice with a link to the event. That’s it. But remember, no link, no show. My email is wayne@stonelantern.com. You might also want to mention the event (with or without a link) in the comments below. There are no graphics for this Lake Charles Bonsai Society calendar, but … Continue reading Looking Into the Bonsai Future

Quick & Easy Azaleas in Bloom

This striking Kyushu azalea (Rhododendron Kiusianum) with its wild almost chaotic trunk is from an Art of Bonsai Project contest held in 2005. It belongs to (or belonged to?) Melvyn Goldstein. The only thing I would take issue with is the pot. Not to say that this isn’t a very nice pot (and very clean and well oiled), it’s just that a shallower glazed oval might be better. BTW: Kyushu are not Satsuki azaleas. Kyushu usually bloom in March or April (depending on where they are) while Satsuki bloom in May (again depending and thus the name Satsuki, which means … Continue reading Quick & Easy Azaleas in Bloom

Stretching a Shimpaku from Kimura’s Bag of Tricks

After. Almost twice as tall (the before photo is below). So tall that there’s barely room in the photo for the top of the tree (that’s a bad joke, but the photo is a little cramped). Shimpaku juniper, height 28″ (71cm). From The Magician, The Bonsai Art of Kimura 2. For expediences sake There’s a lot going on here right now, so for expediences sake I’ve decided to resurrect a post from two years ago. It was titled That’s A Stretch, but for the sake of originality, we’ll call it Stretching a Shimpaku from Kimura’s Bag of Tricks this time. … Continue reading Stretching a Shimpaku from Kimura’s Bag of Tricks

No Mean Feat

This remarkable Satsuki azalea with its bright profusion of flowers belongs to Teunis Jan Klein. It’s not very often you see a cascade with such a long reach (both vertically and horizontally). What’s more remarkable is the mass of flowers around the tip, which is almost as strong as the crown. That much strength so far from the base is no mean feat. This photo and the other photos in this post are from Hans Van Meer’s blog. It was taken at the 7th Het Westen Bonsai Show in Delft, Netherlands. All the photos in this post have been borrowed … Continue reading No Mean Feat

Almost Incomprehensibly Thick

A picture is worth a thousand words. What better way to lend a little perspective to what turns out to be an almost incomprehensibly massive trunk with almost incomprehensibly thick bark? It’s from a Peter Tea post titled ‘The Return of the King.’ See below for a couple more photos and some info on this classic tree. Way back in January 2009, we introduced Bonsai Bark with a photo of, believe it or not, bonsai bark (see below). At the time I thought it was a pretty good shot, at least until I saw the photo above. Too late to … Continue reading Almost Incomprehensibly Thick

An All-Time Favorite

After. Finished for the moment. The challenge was for Masahiko Kimura to style a bunjin (literati) bonsai with only one branch (see below for where he started). Its uniqueness lies in its striking simplicity. It’s a Japanese red pine (Pinus densiflora). From a December 2009 post and before that from our Masters’ Series The Magician, the Bonsai Art of Kimura 2 (before that it appeared in Bonsai Today issue 69). This tree and its story are among our all-time favorites . Though it’s hard to say what Kimura would have done with this tangled-up bunjin had he not been challenged … Continue reading An All-Time Favorite

Backyard Bonsai 13

A sweet little bonsai workshop surrounded by an attractive display area. This photo and the others in this post are from the Minnesota Bonsai Society website. The exceptional backyard bonsai display shown here is from the Minnesota Bonsai Society website. Unfortunately, the owner of the backyard is a secret for the moment (no name is provided with the photos), though I doubt it will be a secret much longer. In any case, whoever created it is to be applauded. When it comes to structure (the tables and benches, the sweet little workshop and to some extent the landscaping) it has … Continue reading Backyard Bonsai 13