Bonsai Stempede & You Don’t Need to Remove ALL the Wire

Stampede. This photo is from Michael Hagedorn’s Crataegus Bonsai blog. It was taken just after restyling by Micheal and friends. The tree is a Ponderosa pine. The story of its name ‘Stampede’ is in a caption below (second photo down) Two for one. I wanted to show you a post about removing wire that Michael Hagedorn put up on his Crataegus Bonsai blog recently. Problem is, we need a good lead photo of a bonsai for all our posts (don’t ask, it’s just the way we’ve always done it) and Michael doesn’t provide one in his removing wire post. So I picked some photos and text from a … Continue reading Bonsai Stempede & You Don’t Need to Remove ALL the Wire

A Dangerously Beautiful Tree that Grows Against all the Rules of Bonsai

I borrowed this luminous Amur maple (Acer ginalla) from Mariusz Folda’s Ibuki Studio Bonsai & Ceramics. Here’s Mariusz’ caption… “Everybody who knows the growth characteristics of the variety knows how ginalla is unique with their branch structure. It happens that It just grows against all ‘the rules of bonsai’ ? Still I wanted to show the true nature of the tree. It was developed from a yamadori. It was a perfect stamp (does he mean ‘stump’?) and the rest is a result of many years of our cooperation (?). 75 cm high. Pot and table by Ibuki.” We found all three images shown … Continue reading A Dangerously Beautiful Tree that Grows Against all the Rules of Bonsai

Brilliant Bonsai in Full Fall Colors & Other Famous Trees

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 Still trying to catch up from vacation so it’s archive time again. I used to have a 30 hour a week office person, but now it’s just me (with a little help from a friend), so keeping up, let alone catching up, requires more time, though new technology and other innovations help, but only to a point. The photo at the top of this post originally … Continue reading Brilliant Bonsai in Full Fall Colors & Other Famous Trees

One Sweet Little Tree While Waiting for More

Our first photo from the just completed 2018 European Bonsai Sans Show. The tree belongs to Carlos Beto. I couldn’t find the species or size, but it looks like a Sohin (small) Cotoneaster. In any case, it’s got all the right stuff; heavy trunk with good movement, a strong nebari, and attractive little berries with a pot to match (red pots are on rise!). The moss is good too, with enough variation in texture and color to create interest (this is an often overlooked feature… slapping some moss on or just using sand or gravel isn’t good enough for a top show). Some might … Continue reading One Sweet Little Tree While Waiting for More

Mixed Media Bonsai from Down Under

This unusual mixed media bonsai presentation was posted by the National Bonsai & Penjing Collection of Australia. Here’s part of the caption… “Chinese Junipers set among moss, ferns and stones have been carefully trained for thirty years by Australian artist Syd Green to create this tranquil Penjing. Inspired by the beauty, digital artist Jane Long has transferred the Junipers into a magical realm…” Here’s your link if you’d like to read more I don’t mind bonsai as part of mixed media settings. Experimentation is part of any art, though some experiments work better than others. In this case, I think the bonsai part of the … Continue reading Mixed Media Bonsai from Down Under

Ginkgo Bonsai – Spring, Summer & Fall

I’m not so sure about the apex or the way it’s so crowded in this photo, but I like the tree anyway. Especially that gnarly old trunk. It’s a Chi Chi, a small leaf Ginkgo cultivar. As you can see, it’s from Lakeshore Bonsai (Toronto area). Here’s Lakeshore’s caption: “Ginkgo biloba ‘chi-chi’, 7 years in development from imported raw material. Probably started as an air layer in Japan.” Finally home last night from vacation. Now to attack and vanquish two weeks worth of accumulated loose ends. Meanwhile, to save a little time, we’re resurrecting a post we did back in … Continue reading Ginkgo Bonsai – Spring, Summer & Fall

Too Big for Bonsai – Another Magnificent Monster

Boon Manakitivipart takes a good look at an impressive wild specimen just before he digs it up (just kidding). From Boon’s website Flying west to east today, so no time to put together a new post. This one, that originally appeared in October 2010 (with a little value added today), should do though. Not only does it tie in with yesterday by featuring another of nature’s magnificent trees, it also features one of our favorite bonsai people VISIT STONE LANTERN FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION AND BEST PRICES ON BONSAI WIRE – This shot gives you an idea of the scope and … Continue reading Too Big for Bonsai – Another Magnificent Monster

Nature’s Wild Bonsai

A Sierra juniper (Juniperus occidentalis) sculpted by wind and snow. It lives near Granite Lake at 8,500 feet in the Emmigrant Wilderness (near Yosemite in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains). This photo and the next two are borrowed from Bonsai Society San Francisco. Thanks to Terry Davis of Mullet Wrapper fame for the suggestion Tomorrow and Sunday are travel days, so today is our last full day of vacation. To save time I decided to resurrect this post from April of this year. It relates to what we’ve been up the last five days (Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce and environs), though we didn’t see any trees quite as dramatic as … Continue reading Nature’s Wild Bonsai

Three Powerful Bonsai, a Quick Spelling Lesson, Ancient Pines & Towering Hoodoos

Colorado spruce from Ryan Neil’s Bonsai Mirai. This one is more about bark than deadwood. Normally bark that covers deadwood is stripped to reveal the deadwood, but in this case it makes sense to leave it. Leaving the high plateaus and mountains of northern Arizona and southern Utah today. A quick detour to SF and family, then back to Vermont via Boston on Sunday. Once we’re back in the office, we’ll find time to sort through our photos. Meanwhile here are some bonsai from our archives that shows three species we’ve seen growing in the wild on this trip. All the photos in this post were … Continue reading Three Powerful Bonsai, a Quick Spelling Lesson, Ancient Pines & Towering Hoodoos

Nature’s Bonsai Growing Out of Rocks in Some of the Most Sensational Surroundings Anywhere

In this part of the world (Grand Canyon, Zion & Brice National Parks and surroundings) it’s not unusual to see trees like this growing out of rocks. Somewhere there has to be some soil or duff, but often you can’t see it. The magnificent old tree is a pine (see below) and the dramatic backdrop is the Grand Canyon. The photo was borrowed from Bonsai Mania The photos shown here are from a post we did back December 2010, a while after my last trip to the Grand Canyon. It was the South Rim then. Now it’s the North Rim as well as … Continue reading Nature’s Bonsai Growing Out of Rocks in Some of the Most Sensational Surroundings Anywhere