Slow Motion Gallery

I’m pretty sure this is an Ume (Japanese flowering apricot), though I can’t be %100 sure. Whatever it is, it sure combines some very showy flowers with impressively ancient looking bark. It’s from a Japanese book (not available in English) called Gyozan Nakano, Sakai: A 35 Year Anthology. Mr. Nakano is a rather famous (in Japan) Master Potter (this is not the first time we’ve featured him). Most of the book is devoted to his pots sans trees. However, there are a few in the back with trees. This is one of them. Slow motion gallery In this case, slow … Continue reading Slow Motion Gallery

Mugos by Mother Nature & Georg Reinhard

The sculpted look. This Mugo pine by Georg Reinhard combines wildness and elegance with its flowing lines and almost perfectly shaped robust live growth. I particularly like the way the deadwood twists and turns all the way back down to soil and the jagged lightening bolt on the left. Though I know that some people take issue with highly sculpted deadwood, this is so well done that I can’t imagine even the most dogmatic proponents of the naturalistic look being too worked up about it. There are Mugos, and then there are Mugos… I don’t think we ever see Mugo … Continue reading Mugos by Mother Nature & Georg Reinhard

Spindle Tree Bonsai

This exquisite, small but strong, little Japanese spindle tree (Euonymus sieboldianus) is from Google images. Euonymus is a vast and varied genus with about 160 species. Some are suited for bonsai, though it’s not too often you see them used for bonsai. It spite of the fuzzy image, you can still get a pretty good idea of both the power and colorful beauty of this spindle tree. Though it’s a E. sieboldianus, just like the one above (at least that’s how the original in Bonsai Today 31 is labeled), the bark looks quite different; though with the poor quality image, … Continue reading Spindle Tree Bonsai

A Gallery of Two

A sweet little root-over-rock by Robert Steven. I can’t tell tell you what it is or its dimensions or really anything (except that I’d love to see it in my collection). I don’t even remember where I got the photo (or the one below). Robert Steven is a household name Over the last few years Robert Steven has become a household name throughout most of the world (wouldn’t that be something?). Actually, about 99.99% percent of the people in the world are blissfully ignorant of Robert’s existence. Too bad. Maybe someday bonsai will enjoy its place as an art worthy … Continue reading A Gallery of Two

Fall Color in Upstate New York

This strikingly colorful ginkgo with its thick, uniquely shaped and uncommonly well tapered trunk (for a ginkgo) is from facebook, courtesy of Bill Valavanis (International Bonsai). In fact, all three photos in this post are Bill’s. Looks like a pyracantha. The well-chosen blue pot contrasts with and amplifies the bright vermilion berries. A colorful piece of Bill’s nursery.

No Interior Buds, Now What?

One down, one to go. Decandling two Japanese black pines. Photo by Jonas Dupuich. Akio Kondo discovers a problem and offers a solution I lifted all the photos in this post from Bonsai Tonight. They present a small piece of a much larger post (actually two posts). I won’t attempt to flesh too out much (you can just go there and see the whole thing), except to say they are about solving a problem (lack of interior buds on black pines). Akio Kondo pointed out the problem to Jonas Dupuich and also offered a solution. He’s a pro Speaking of … Continue reading No Interior Buds, Now What?

Ornate Elegance: Bonsai Pots As Fine Art

Hirato-Yaki peacock pot. This pot may be from as far back as 1598. 22 inches (59cm) across the top. That’s a very large pot. From Bonsai Today issue 61. Pot lovers? We don’t get much response when we post pots. I guess powerful old bonsai or flashy flowering trees excite people more. Still, pots are the other half of bonsai, and the best pots rise to the level of fine art. Where are the trees? Maybe the reason people don’t show much interest in these fine art type pots is that they are almost always empty. Sometimes you see these … Continue reading Ornate Elegance: Bonsai Pots As Fine Art

Rebalancing & Restyling a Bunjin Pine

After. The trunk is strong and fluid, the overall balance is good and the new pot is suited to bunjin style. By Furube Tetsuyi. From Bonsai Today issue 33. See below for the before photo. Changing the potting angle and rotating the trunk Though Mr. Tetsuyi did a few other things, the most obvious (aside from the new pot) is the fairly radical change in the planting angle. This along with rotating the trunk to soften the sharp almost 90 degree angles, are the first two major steps in restyling this old tree. The final steps involve pruning and wiring … Continue reading Rebalancing & Restyling a Bunjin Pine

Another Forest, But Mixed This Time

This mixed forest is from Spain. The Museo del Bonsai Marbella, to be exact (from Bonsais del Sur). It’s too bad the pot is chopped off and the whole photo is cramped, but that’s the way we found it. Still, from what we can see, it looks pretty good. Mixing it up Forests with mixed species can be a little tricky; not only does the planting have to make sense aesthetically (particularly when it comes to questions of scale), but the various types of trees should make sense growing together (would you find them growing together in nature?) Not that … Continue reading Another Forest, But Mixed This Time

Achieving that Natural Look

We found this forest and plenty of other excellent trees (and stones) here. The photo is by Nicola Crivelli. I don’t know who the artist is. Anyone? There’s a lot to like There’s a lot to like about this forest. It has a natural feel that looks easy to achieve, but isn’t. The trees are planted in a way that might looks random, but is actually well thought out. The dead trees add to the natural feel and convey a sense of age, as does the other deadwood. Older larger trees contrast well with the small ones and add to … Continue reading Achieving that Natural Look