Rugged, Graceful & Not All That Common

Sabamiki and uro. Aside from its overall power and beauty, there are a several things that might catch your eye: the flowers and buds, the aged bark (Ume bark develops an aged look fairly fast) and the hollowed out trunk (sabamiki). If you look closely you can also see several uro (small hollows that are left on deciduous trees where branches have rotted and fallen off, though bonsai uro may well be man made). What’s in a name? Ume have several names: Prunus mume (or just mume), Japanese apricot (or sometimes Japanese flowering apricot) and Chinese plum to name the … Continue reading Rugged, Graceful & Not All That Common

Enter & Win, Imagine & Create, Visit Stone Lantern & Save

Goshin by John Yoshio Naka. This famous tree resides at the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum in Washington DC. Photos will never do it justice. It is huge (about 1 meter tall – just over 3 feet) and is so dramatic in person that it almost seems to vibrate with power. Goshin is featured in Timeless Trees by Peter and Mary Bloomer. It also appears on the cover of Bonsai Today issue 93, an issue that features a tribute to the life and works of John Naka (The John Naka Sketchbook is on sale here). Enter & win Or at … Continue reading Enter & Win, Imagine & Create, Visit Stone Lantern & Save

Random Shots

Naturalistic. Another naturalistic bonsai by Walter Pall. We’ve been featuring Walter’s trees lately, now here’s one more for your enjoyment. Great pot too. No particular theme I’m still on vacation, so I’ll keep it short and hopefully sweet. All of the trees shown in this post are photos posted on facebook by Tae Kikuwon Bonsai. There’s no theme (that I can discern anyway) other than a few trees that caught my eye. Berry rich. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many berries on a Pyracantha bonsai. Maybe not on any bonsai. If you know who this tree belongs … Continue reading Random Shots

Lithe Literati: Another Great Bonsai Exhibition part 2

Not exactly a traditional literati pot, but who cares? Lissome literati I’ve seen hundreds if not thousands of literati bonsai (photos, that is) but very few quite like these. Enough said though (getting sucked back into work isn’t any way to enjoy a vacation). Part 2 All three photos in this post are from the Malaysia Bonsai & Stone International Exhibition 2012. I found them on Robert Steven’s facebook page. Even though this post says part 2, it’s actually our 3rd post from the Exhibition (including Robert’s demo). Here’s a link to part one. Again, not your traditional literati … Continue reading Lithe Literati: Another Great Bonsai Exhibition part 2

Revisting a Famous Tree

2012. Walter Pall’s now famous Scot’s pine as it appears in a recent post on his Bonsai Adventures blog. Actually, it appears in three different iterations in the post, starting with this one (rather than try to explain, you can see for yourself). Walter Pall’s naturalistic Scot’s pine When you hear the words bonsai and naturalistic in the same breath, you might envision someone finding a little tree growing in the wild, digging it up, doing a little trimming here and there, perhaps a bare minimum of wiring (perhaps none at all), sticking it in a pot, and voila, a … Continue reading Revisting a Famous Tree

Explore the World of Bonsai, Humidity & Heat, Columbus Is Still in Ohio & A Very Large Bonsai Tree

This photo is from Explore the World of Bonsai, a special feature offered on the National Bonsai Foundation website. Check it out, it’s well worth a look, especially for those of us still becoming acquainted with the art of bonsai (that pretty much covers us all). Giant bonsai in a very large box. This turned up on Ruddy Valentino d’Augusto’s facebook page. It’s titled Amazing Bonsai Garden. I’ve seen other gargantuan bonsai, but this one may be the most impressive yet. This fluid Japanese maple is one of a whole series of great trees featured on Yoshimoto Ishizuka’s … Continue reading Explore the World of Bonsai, Humidity & Heat, Columbus Is Still in Ohio & A Very Large Bonsai Tree

Another Great Bonsai Exhibition

The free-standing, somewhat strange deadwood on the left is both intriguing and disturbing. On balance, I think it’s a genuine eye-catcher that adds interest to the planting, even though the main tree would be excellent by itself. The original shot included a stand that seemed too large and distracting, so I cropped it out. Base-of-the-trunk level shots are usually the best way to photograph bonsai, but if they slip down just a little lower, they can over-emphasis stands and pots. The full photo with the stand is below, so you can be the judge. Robert is at it again The … Continue reading Another Great Bonsai Exhibition

Bonsai Blogs: A Quick Web Journey

Mystery tree. It’s from Peter Warren’s latest post on his Suruyama blog. Unmentioned, unnamed and the brightest spot in the post. A quick journey around the bonsai web Though we often feature photos from other bonsai blogs, this type of sampling is something new for Bonsai Bark. I suspect you’ll see more in the future. Meanwhile, please don’t feel insulted if your favorite blog isn’t included. No attempt has been made to cover them all, or even search out the very best. Just stuff that caught my attention at the moment. If you know any you’d like to see here, … Continue reading Bonsai Blogs: A Quick Web Journey

Twisted

Twisted in the extreme. My guess is that you’ve never seen a tree as twisted as this one. I’m pretty sure I haven’t, though there are some (I think they are Whitebark pines Pinus albicaulis) at the treeline on Mt Lassen in Northern California that come pretty close. This photo is from Carlos van der Vaart on facebook. The caption says: Carlos van der Vaart with Carles Lleonart and Bonsai Eduardo Budes, Medellin, Colombia. What causes trees to twist? I’ve always thought twisting is caused by a combination of persistent strong winds and the way trees grow towards the sun. … Continue reading Twisted

New American Masters at the Rim

I was struck by this large Ponderosa pine at the 3rd U.S. National Exhibition. It’s even bigger than it looks here and also has more depth and movement than this two dimensional representation shows. Still, you can get some idea of its natural power. It belongs to Ryan Neil. New American Masters show at the Pacific Rim Collection Michael Hagedorn and Ryan Neil both apprenticed in Japan where the term Master isn’t thrown around casually, and my guess is that neither of them is completely comfortable with it being used in reference to themselves. However, whatever term your choose, there’s … Continue reading New American Masters at the Rim