Not Crazy, Dug from the Garden, Abette Rosso, Vampire Suiseki & Small Bonsai Lovers

Fluidity, power and so well groomed. If you’re in that “I don’t like that highly styled look” group, then you’re probably not crazy about this tree. For me, beauty isn’t restricted to a style or concept, so no problem (though you’d never see a tree in nature that looks like this). It’s was posted on facebook by Minoru Akiyama, one of Japan’s many outstanding bonsai artists. Now for the guessing part: Shimpaku juniper (too easy). This is what can happen when good stock ends up in talented hands. Mario Komsta has an excellent series of photos on facebook that … Continue reading Not Crazy, Dug from the Garden, Abette Rosso, Vampire Suiseki & Small Bonsai Lovers

A Simple & Elegant Solution

Museum worthy. A bevy of sweet succulents has found the perfect nest in this colorful ceramic art by Horst Heinzlreiter. It’s Horst (of course) Choosing the right pot for the right tree (or non-tree plantings in this case) is critical if you want first-rate art, bonsai or otherwise. All the pots and plantings in this post are by Horst Heinzlreiter. We’ve featured Horst’s pots before and, will no doubt feature them again. They are simply too unique and too beautiful to pass up. The simple solution If you own a striking bonsai pot and your bonsai talent or enthusiasm is … Continue reading A Simple & Elegant Solution

Random Shots

I believe this photo came from Certre, though I don’t know who the artist is. In any case, it’s a powerful full cascade with a strong trunk, good movement and great pot. I’m traveling again and pressed for time, so I’ll make it brief. I pulled the photos for this post from a couple old folders of random shots. Unfortunately, some are poorly labeled and I’ve forgotten where they came from. Maybe someone out there can help with identification. This delightfully showy maverick is labeled Empirreken (nothing turned up on google). Lot’s of time and no small amount of … Continue reading Random Shots

Keeping It Clean

A night photo of a Shimpaku from Peter Tea’s latest post. Apologies for the missing half of the pot. Peter’s original photo that shows the whole pot is below. We been featuring excerpts from Peter Tea’s Journey of a Bonsai Apprentice at Aichi-en Bonsai Nursery, Japan, for a while now. Peter is in his second year now, and the quality of his work, the range of topics he explores and his informative, easy-to-read writing style make for one of the very best bonsai blogs on the planet. I think Peter’s latest post is particularly good. Not only is the tree … Continue reading Keeping It Clean

Revisiting a Famous Old Pine

This photo of a very famous old Japanese white pine is from Michael Bonsai. It was taken at the U.S. National Bonsai & Penjing Museum. There are at least two things that stand out about this remarkable old tree. First, is its sheer magnitude. It’s hard to tell from photos, but the size of this tree is overwhelming (don’t take my word for it, go see for yourself). Second is the tree’s story… Hiroshima Survivor Thursday, March 8, 2001 was anything but a typical day at the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum. That morning two Japanese brothers landed … Continue reading Revisiting a Famous Old Pine

Tony Tickle’s ‘The Calligrapher’

The Calligrapher. You don’t need anything but your eyes and a little imagination to appreciate the the story of this remarkable little Yew’s (Taxus baccata) time spent on a remote rocky outcropping somewhere in England. But then there’s the story of the time it spent in Tony Tickle’s bonsai collection, where, instead of rough weather and poor soil, it experience a human-caused series of dramatic changes. The result is a refreshing break with convention that evokes a sense of delight and a big question mark (part of the answer is here). BTW: I don’t usually say too much about people … Continue reading Tony Tickle’s ‘The Calligrapher’

A Boon to Bonsai

From chuhin to shohin. I have a soft spot for stubby little trees. Especially ones with reams of character like this European olive that was originally a stump dug from Boon Manakitivipart’s garden. Bonsai Boon Boon Manakitivipart is without doubt one of North America’s most influential bonsai artists and teachers. Several of his students have become important artists and teachers in their own right, and countless trees of Boon’s and his students’ have appeared on this blog, in magazines and books and elsewhere on the web. All of the photos in this posts (except the very last one) are from … Continue reading A Boon to Bonsai

World’s Largest Bonsai? At Least for a Moment.

An old oak in transit. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the perfect photo from a bonsai point-of-view. But then, viewing this tree as a bonsai is just an excuse for sharing a great story about saving a venerable tree. World’s largest bonsai? If you can call a large wooden box a pot (the shape and proportions are pretty good), then you could call this massive old tree a bonsai. For a while at least. Now it’s safely back in the ground (field growing, as we like to say). This now somewhat famous tree is called the Ghirardi Compton Oak. It has … Continue reading World’s Largest Bonsai? At Least for a Moment.

What a Difference a Day Makes

Large juniper that was styled by Michael Hagedorn in 2007. Though it looks like a Juniperus chinensis, the variety is unidentified. This photo and the before photo (below) are from Michael’s Crataegus Bonsai. What a difference five hours makes Michael Hagedorn restyled this monster juniper in five hours, and though I guess that doesn’t really qualify as a whole day, still, we’ll stick with ‘What a Difference a Day Makes’ (ask your grandparents). The operation took place at Miami Tropical Bonsai in 2007 and was captured on a video that you can watch on youtube. Artisans Cup I found the … Continue reading What a Difference a Day Makes

The Finest of the Fine

This luminous Tensho Satsuki Azalea belongs to Joseph Noga of Winterville, NC. You can find it and the other photos in this post, in Fine Bonsai, Art and Nature. The finest of the fine It’s not that these are the finest bonsai in the world and it’s not that they aren’t either. It’s more the combination of top quality bonsai and top quality photography has resulted in some of the finest bonsai photos you’ll see anywhere. In this vein, it’s important to bear in mind that these digital images, though very good, are inadequate. For the full effect and for … Continue reading The Finest of the Fine