Bonsai Rafting

Crataegus raft by John Pit. Wow. What a unique and compelling bonsai. A true sinuous raft style planting. You don’t see too many of these and I’ve never seen one quite like this. Great pot too. John Pitt is a well known English potter, so I imagine he made the pot as well as the planting. This drawing is from an article on raft style bonsai on Bonsai Culture Group Malta. I just discovered this site, and haven’t had time to explore it, but on the surface, it looks quite good with a wealth of bonsai information. Stone Lantern’s new … Continue reading Bonsai Rafting

Nature, Picasso & the Hand of Man

Here’s an exquisite, powerful old tree that features some wild twists and turns. I found it here. My guess is it’s a Shimpaku juniper that was originally collected in the mountains of Japan. A further guess is that it fell into the hands of one of the Japanese masters. One more guess; it was professionally photographed and appears in a Japanese bonsai book or Bonsai magazine Okay, I stand corrected (see comments) That Old Question: Naturalistic vs Highly Styled Bonsai Though nature originally grew, shaped and aged this wonderful old tree, there is no pretending that humans didn’t have a … Continue reading Nature, Picasso & the Hand of Man

Fantastic Trees, Fabulous Pots

Malpigia glabra (Barbados cherry) by Hsieh, Cheng-Hua. More Taiwanese Bonsai Here are three more bonsai from the 2008 Taiwan Bonsai Creators Exhibition booklet which appears on Bonsai Shari Si-Diao, Cheng, Cheng-Kung’s website. It’s the pots, as well the trees, that really grabbed me. Ficus microcarpa by Huang,Ching-Chi. Variety unlisted. By Tung, Wen Chi.

Wild and Wonderful Bonsai

Wild! There’s so much going on with this delightfully crazy tree, that you could spend a long time looking at it and still see something new. It’s a Chinese juniper by Yang Hsui. Taiwanese Bonsai The three bonsai shown here are all from the 2008 Taiwan Bonsai Creators Exhibition booklet which appears on Bonsai Shari Si-Diao, Cheng, Cheng-Kung’s website. Cheng is one Taiwan’s most famous, and most innovative, bonsai artists and teachers. This one is more wonderful than wild. But take a look at the size of the pot relative to the tree and particularly the trunk. Could the tree … Continue reading Wild and Wonderful Bonsai

Mixed Maple Forest

This playful mixed Japanese bonsai forest is by Juan José Bueno Gil. Rare indeed You don’t see too many mixed bonsai forests, and my guess is that you’ve never seen one with this many varieties (above). They may all be the same species for sure (Acer palmatum), but they aren’t all the same. How many varieties can you count? We’ve shown this mixed forest in Bonsai Bark before. It’s one of my favorites (though it would be nice if the photo were larger). It’s from Saburo Kato’s Forest, Rock Planting & Ezo Spruce Bonsai (published by The National Bonsai Foundation … Continue reading Mixed Maple Forest

Three Monster Satsuki Bonsai

A prize winning Satsuki azalea from Bonsai -Matsuda Seishoen displaying it power, balance and tranquility. A rare and wonderful trunk The trunk on this Satsuki azalea (above) is near perfection; heavy and powerful with great texture, color and a well balanced yet completely natural looking nebari that adds stability with the way its fingers clutch the soil (okay, okay, getting a little carried away, but still…). Japanese style Some people say that Japanese bonsai are often overly stylized. If you are of that opinion, then you might think that the foliage pads on this tree are too neatly trimmed and … Continue reading Three Monster Satsuki Bonsai

Backyard Bonsai #10

This isn’t necessarily the best shot of these gardens. I picked it because I think the mountain in the background gives a good sense of place (somewhere in Italy). Antonio Gesualdi’s Bonsai Garden I found these photos on facebook. They are part of album entitled AIkI BONSAI EN… my Bonsai Garden by Antonio Gesualdi. Though none of the photo are perfect, still, they capture the delights of Antonio’s little piece of bonsai and garden paradise. Our backyard bonsai tradition We’ve been occasionally putting up photos of backyard bonsai displays almost since our beginning, way back in the recesses of time … Continue reading Backyard Bonsai #10

The Prime Minister’s Award

Shinji Suzuki’s 2010 Prime Minister Award Juniper. Borrowed from Michael Hagedorn’s Crataegus Bonsai (the original photo includes the stand – it’s a long story). Michael is an accomplished American bonsai artist and teacher, and the author of Post-Dated: The Schooling of an Irreverent Bonsai Monk. In Michael’s own words The following was lifted from Crataegus Bonsai: “My teacher’s juniper from the 2010 Sakafu show has been my favorite since it first came into his studio in 2006, and I was in my last year apprenticing there. The delicacy and naturalness of this meter-high tree has always left me spellbound. He … Continue reading The Prime Minister’s Award

Bonsai Mania

Labor of love. I would love to see this majestic and wonderful mountain scene photographed with a neutral background and maybe a little stronger lighting. Still, even with the busy background, this planting stands out as pure inspiration and joy. I found it on Bonsai Mania facebook. The photo belongs to Bambang Gautama’s album. I was unable to determine if the planting belongs to Bambang or someone else. Hats off If you’re a facebook user, you might want to visit Bonsai Mania. They have been consistently posting excellent photos of bonsai and powerful natural scenes for a long time. Day … Continue reading Bonsai Mania

Power, Color & A Too Little Forest

Bougainvillea, Wigert’s Bonsai. I originally captured this impressive monster on facebook. I took the liberty of photoshopping to soften the background a bit. In the process, the flowers brightened some (a result of limited photoshop skills, no doubt). Still, even without my help, this tree exhibits a striking combination of power and color. You can visit Wigert’s Bonsai Gallery to see another shot in a different setting. Too Little Ficus Forest. This one was lifted straight from Wigert’s Gallery. It’s cropped a little tight to eliminate some background text, but even so, its balance and beauty are obvious. I like … Continue reading Power, Color & A Too Little Forest