A Walk on the Wild Side

A wonderfully convoluted Sabina juniper after a little taming by Gabriel Romero Aguadé. If you look at the before photo below, you can see that Gabriel did quite a bit to tame what started out as tree with a world of potential but also with a crazily unruly crown and a trunk with poor taper. It’s not too hard to see how the crown was brought under control (some very detailed labor and some time for new growth to fill in). But the taper is a bit more mystifying; not much has changed, but somehow it looks much better. BTW, … Continue reading A Walk on the Wild Side

Two Bonsai Firsts (at least)

A formal upright collected European olive? I’ve seen a lot of magnificent collected European olives, but I’m not sure I’ve ever seen any as perfectly shaped and stupendously gnarled at the same time. The artist is Gabriel Romero Aguade. Noelanders Trophy 2012 The four trees shown here are all from the 13th Noelanders Trophy Exhibition, which was held in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium, way back in January. I borrowed the images from Bonsai – Living Art, the English version of the Slovenski blog (I recommend a visit, it’s a great bonsai blog, one of the best). A couple firsts I don’t know … Continue reading Two Bonsai Firsts (at least)

Weekly Wire: Back On His Feet, Nature’s Deadwood & Keeping Things Up to Date

Remember Isao Omachi? Isao’s house and bonsai nursery were swept away in the tsunami. That’s the tough news. The good news is that hundreds, maybe thousands of people in our international bonsai community donated to help Isao and his family get back on thier feet. As a result of this effort (and Isao’s and his family’s determination) Isao is back doing what he loves. This is our good fortune; Isao is one of the featured bonsai artists at the Mid Atlantic Bonsai Societies 2012 Spring Festival. This sweet colorful bonsai is from Isao facebook page. It looks like a Japanese … Continue reading Weekly Wire: Back On His Feet, Nature’s Deadwood & Keeping Things Up to Date

Three Rare & Wonderful Yamadori Bonsai

Even the most jaded collector has to be amazed when they stumble upon a tree with this much character. It’s from Walter Pall’s conifer gallery. The tree looks a lot like a Ezo spruce, but then, if it was collected in Europe, it couldn’t be. Walter Pall’s conifer gallery The three bonsai shown here have been borrowed courtesy of Walter Pall. They represent a small sampling of Walter’s wonderful conifer collection. Naturalistic bonsai Walter Pall has long been a strong proponent of what he calls ‘naturalistic bonsai.’ To my eye, all three trees in this post speak with a strong … Continue reading Three Rare & Wonderful Yamadori Bonsai

Taxus Time & Missing Comments

After. Mario Komsta with Pete Carino and Bonsais Del Sur. Here’s Mario’s website for those of you who aren’t facebook friends. Mario Again? We (that’s me) tend to go on rolls around here. A couple years ago it seemed like every other post was about Michael Hagedorn’s bonsai. Then it was Bonsai Tonight. And of course there’s always Robert Steven (I reckon he appears in more of our posts than anyone). Not that these folks are the only ones that reoccur; when you post exclusively about bonsai three to four times a week for over three years you, recycling is … Continue reading Taxus Time & Missing Comments

Bringing the Magic Up To Date

After. From a demo by Masahiko Kimura at the 11 ASPAC. (Asia Pacific Bonsai & Suiseki Convention) in Takamatsu Japan. It helps to start with great stock. It also helps to be Masahiko Kimura. Photo by Jonas Dupuich (Bonsai Tonight). Still magic after all these years Just in case might think that the not-so-old Master has lost his touch. It does help to start with great stock, but taking that great stock to the next level requires vision and a deft touch. Especially when the next level is accomplish in a single demonstration. Japanese demos and Western demos The photos … Continue reading Bringing the Magic Up To Date

A Mystical Dragon

Robert Steven’s simulation of a planting that was submitted by Paolo Netto (see below). More varied and interesting, but still… Last month Paulo Netto submitted a group planting for critique by Robert Steven. Now, he’s submitted another more varied and interesting group planting for Robert to critique. Still, no matter how varied and interesting, there’s room for improvement, and ‘room for improvement’ is practically Robert’s middle name. Paulo Netto’s planting. Robert Steven’s critique After the recent critique on Paulo Netto’s grouping, especially on the placement of the gate, he sent me a new grouping with different placement, which showed … Continue reading A Mystical Dragon

That Strange First Branch

A very unusual tree. My first thought was to remove that strange first branch way down low (if you hold your hand over it, you see a remarkable bonsai with it’s powerful twisted trunk, beautiful living veins, luscious foliage and so forth). But is it that strange first branch that really distinguishes this tree? A facebook problem All the trees in this post appear in a facebook photo album by Hock Lye Yap (Malaysia). It’s not clear to me that the tree’s are Hock’s. He does have a bonsai in Budi Sulistyo’s Tropical Bonsai Gallery, so we can assume he … Continue reading That Strange First Branch

White Bear Bonsai Sale

Japanese black pine from White Bear Bonsai Garden’s sale. It’s caption reads “…personally selected by Susumu Nakamura, about 50 years old.” A first for Bonsai Bark If memory serves, this is first time that we’ve used this blog to promote a bonsai sale.To set the record straight, there’s nothing in it for us. I just stumbled upon the White Bear Bonsai Garden website the other day, saw they were having a moving sale of some quality bonsai and decided you might like to see some of what they have to offer. Grafted Kishu shimpaku by Mas Ishii (Chikugo-En Bonsai … Continue reading White Bear Bonsai Sale

Cliff Dwellers & NEW Bonsai Tools

Nature does it just right. This breathtaking photo is by Mario Komsta. No need to try to collect this beauty, it’s perfect right where it is. These attractive Bonsai Aesthetics tools are every bit as good as their Japanese counterparts and they are more affordable. For example, your price on this set of 3 is only 14.95. Each one is also offered individually. Bonsai Aesthetics is owned by Robert Steven. Robert, one of world’s foremost bonsai artists, personally stands behind every one of his tools. NEW tools at Stone Lantern We’ve been bringing new bonsai and garden tools from Japan … Continue reading Cliff Dwellers & NEW Bonsai Tools