Fertilizing & Back Budding

Speaking of Mario Komsta (previous post), this instructive and somewhat self explanatory photo about a lesser known benefit of fertilizing, is something he cooked up. I don’t remember where I found it (facebook?), but I do know where you can find Mario. Fertilize! Skip ahead to the fourth point unless you are a beginner (or, either ignorant or lazy – or both)* Many, if not most people under fertilize their bonsai. I imagine it’s laziness on some people’s part and ignorance on others (they’re related). There’s nothing we can do about the laziness part, but, maybe we can help with … Continue reading Fertilizing & Back Budding

Super Mario

Hornbeam (Soro in Japanese) by Mario Komsta. Mario Komsta is his name Once upon a time, when I was the publisher/editor of Bonsai Today, we featured an article by a rising young European bonsai star (issue 102 – we also featured him in issue 105). His name was Mario Jano. Or so we thought. Turns out, we were wrong (for the whole story see Bonsai Today issue 104 page 53). His name was, and remains Mario Komsta, and judging by the photos here (there’s more on his site) he’s a bonsai star that has fully risen. Japanese winterberrry (Umemodoki). Another … Continue reading Super Mario

Purple Rain

No need for words (except attribution). It’s from a Bonsaimania facebook post: Bonsái del álbum de Ichihara.

Trunk Art

This rich and powerful, extraordinarily detailed old trunk sits at the base of a Coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) bonsai (immediately below). It (and the others in this post) is from the recent Redwood Empire Bonsai Society’s 27th annual show. The photos are all borrowed from Bonsai Tonight. The complete tree. Superior bonsai photography My hat is off and my balding head is nodding in appreciation of Jonas Dupuich’s consistently superior photographs at Bonsai Tonight. If you can’t see a top quality bonsai in person, the next best thing is a top quality photo.

9th International Crespi Cup

This gnarly, natural looking old tree is from the 9th International Crespi Cup which took place last weekend. It looks like some kind of spruce (Ezo?), but that’s just a guess. The photo is by Nicola Crivelli. I took the liberty to crop it a bit. The Cup The Crespi Cup is a world famous bonsai, suiseki (and more) exhibition that is held every two years by Crespi Bonsai in Milan. Though I’ve never been, I’ve heard that the turnouts are huge, almost beyond comprehension for those of us in the States who are used to shows that attract a … Continue reading 9th International Crespi Cup

Just So: Nature’s Brilliant Bonsai Inspirations

This monster Sierra juniper (Juniperus occidentalis) was shot by Craig Thompson somewhere in the Sierra Nevadas. The little one (is it a pine?) in front isn’t half bad either. Biggest Sale… … on Bonsai, Japanese garden & ikebana tools, books, and more at Stone Lantern. Virtually every item is discounted with double discounts for orders over $50..

Gallerie de Francois Jeker

Carving with a French flare We have featured Francois Jeker several times on Bonsai Bark. And for good reason; Francois is an accomplish bonsai artist, teacher and author (Bonsai Aesthetics). He also designed and built his own Japanese garden and is a lighting professional, among other things. In the overlapping circles of the bonsai world, Francois is especially known for his deadwood carving. The trees shown here (borrowed from his website) give you just a taste of what Francois has been up to lately.

Screwing Around

Graham Potter’s hands doing the screwing (into a larch). The image is from a video on styling an old larch (the same larch, and the same video we used a few days ago) on Graham’s Kaizen Bonsai site. It’s another way to do the same thing Often, when you want to use wire to pull two parts of a tree closer together, you can find branches or stubs or something else to fasten the wire to. But what if you can’t? Or what if you can, but you are concerned about the wire damaging the part of the tree you … Continue reading Screwing Around

Bonsai Events Calendar (Updated 10/17/2010)

Salvatore Liporace at Rosade Bonsai Studio. See Nov 4-7 below. Send us yours If you have a bonsai event you’d like to see in our next calendar, send it to wayne@stonelantern.com, or put it in the comments below (don’t forget the links). Oct 16 – ?: Stone Lantern 30% to 40% off books, tools and wire Oct – Nov: Kathy Shaner Advanced Workshops, Redwood Empire Bonsai Society

A Touch of Bonsai Sweetness

A flowering cherry from one of our mystery Japanese books. Check out the pot; there are two things you might notice. First, it’s unglazed, which is unusual with flowering trees (especially in Japan), and second, it’s hand-made rough. Maybe it was chosen because its earthy naturalness goes well with the color and natural aged feel of the trunk. Cherry Blossoms