Two Tricks with Bonsai Wire & 3 Day Wire Special

Japanese white pine from our 2017 Bonsai Calendar (sorry, sold out). This tree has no doubt been repeatedly wired over years of development. In addition to sharing a couple useful tricks with bonsai wire, this post is to let you know that we have just begun a 3 day Bonsai Wire Sale. 20% off all of our wire (Bonsai Aesthetics wire, Yoshiaki wire, U.S. manufactured Copper wire). When you combine it with our extra 10% off orders 100.00 or more and Free Shipping on Continental U.S. orders 49.00 or more (but only if you select Free Shipping when you check … Continue reading Two Tricks with Bonsai Wire & 3 Day Wire Special

Principles of Bonsai Design – 2 Years & Going Strong

This magnificent old Chinese hackberry (Celtis sinensis) is a tree that I’ve had the honor of seeing up close and personal. It lives at the Pacific Bonsai Museum in Washington State. A not-to-miss experience if you’re ever out that way. Though the distinctive split trunk needs no comment, you might also notice the highly developed ramification (fine branching). The tree was donated to the Museum by Ben Oki. It has been almost two years now since we posted this glowing introduction to Dave DeGroot’s indispensable Principles of Bonsai Design. With the slow inexorable erosion of print media in this digital … Continue reading Principles of Bonsai Design – 2 Years & Going Strong

Tropical Bonsai, Not Exactly Your Common Houseplants

Tropical bonsai wasn’t exactly what came to mind when I first glimpsed this powerful tree. More like some old cold hardy conifer. But a second glance reveals the leaves. Could this be a Bucida spinosa (aka Black olive*)? Well, yes, it could be and I think it is, even the though the artist, Enrique Castano calls it a Terminalia molineti (if hacking through the thicket of plant names is your thing, you might enjoy doing a little research). It has been a while since we’ve featured tropical trees. This might have something to do with our bias for the cold … Continue reading Tropical Bonsai, Not Exactly Your Common Houseplants

Fine Branching Is Key to Superior Deciduous Bonsai

This now famous Japanese beech (Fagus crenata) received the coveted Kokufu prize at the 88th Kokufu Bonsai Exhibition. Aside from its overall magnificence, this tree provides a perfect example of what great ramification looks like. The photo is from the World Bonsai Friendship Federation. Identification and other details were provided by Bill Valavanis. Ramification literally means branch development, or how branches grow. However, when it comes to the art of bonsai, it has come to mean branch development that displays a couple key features: taper and fine branching. These features are critical when it comes to developing quality deciduous (and … Continue reading Fine Branching Is Key to Superior Deciduous Bonsai

A Green T Bonsai Turntable Will Change the Way You Work on Your Bonsai

Another happy Green T owner. The smiling face belongs to David Quintana Mendiguren. The tree is a Scot’s pine and the beautiful turntable is of course, David’s Green T. A Green T Turntable will change the way you work on you bonsai and enhance the results… And you’ll enjoy the journey Our new shipment of Green T turntables has arrived, so I thought I might regale you with some beautiful Green T bonsai, a few happy Green T owners and some good news from Bonsai Master Kimura and his appretices. And by the way, we’ve got two models now. In … Continue reading A Green T Bonsai Turntable Will Change the Way You Work on Your Bonsai

Found Bonsai – Exceptional Trees from Humble Origins

Front left shot of a Privet (Ligustrum ovalifolium) that was collected in 2009 from an old hedge growing in West London. It belongs to Harry Harrington. The pot is by Victor Harris of Erin Pottery Most of the bonsai we feature start with aged, often highly developed (usually expensive) stock. From there to a show-worthy bonsai might require mostly refinement. In other cases more radical styling might be involved, but either way, when you start with superior stock, superior results are more likely. Conversely, most of Harry Harrington‘s (author of The Foundations of Bonsai) bonsai come from more humble origins… … Continue reading Found Bonsai – Exceptional Trees from Humble Origins

Bonsai Brilliance Multiplied

Both the tree and the pot are brilliant and each could stand on its own. But together their brilliance is multiplied. Based on the flowers, I’d say the tree is a quince. The photos trees and pots shown here all belong to Michiko Koide. It’s noon already and the project I was working on this morning is bogged down (blogged down). We’ll set it aside for the moment and resort to an old trick. This one is from March, 2016, with a little value added – a couple new photos from Michiko Koide’s facebook timeline. I don’t know much about … Continue reading Bonsai Brilliance Multiplied

Bonsai Art Techno Style – An Uprising of a New Generation?

I lifted these shots from a video that’s a part of an article from ABC Australia, titled, Japan’s ancient art of bonsai threatened by waning interest among youth. The embedded text – 30 minutes from scratch – might give some pause for thought. You may have heard some buzz lately about lack of interest in bonsai by Japanese youth. The other day I stumbled upon an article & video about this very topic, and what one person is trying to do about it. Though it’s never a bad idea to experiment and add some fresh inspiration to any established convention, … Continue reading Bonsai Art Techno Style – An Uprising of a New Generation?

Working Tirelessly to Promote Bonsai in North America & Beyond

A piece of a sinuous root Larch the belongs to Bill Valavanis. A photo of the whole tree is below. The other day Bill Valavanis generously sent us some photos for a project we’re working on for Stone Lantern. If you know Bill, you know this generosity is not out of character. Bill has been working tirelessly to promote bonsai in North America (and beyond) for a long time, all the while generously giving his energy, knowledge and encouragement to our community of bonsai artists and enthusiasts. Because of Bill’s generosity and dedication, we periodically encourage our readers (that’s you) … Continue reading Working Tirelessly to Promote Bonsai in North America & Beyond

Bonsai, It’s About the Soil – An Informed Approach

This Japanese maple belongs to Mariusz Folda. I don’t know if Mariusz also made the pot, but based on what I’ve seen of his ceramics, I wouldn’t be surprised. Yesterday’s post on Mariusz Folda’s Shimpaku serves as lead in for today’s comments by Mariusz on his soil mix, and more specifically on the uses and limitations of Akadama, the most famous and widely used imported Japanese soil. Here’s Mariusz’s quote on Akadama in its entirety… “I look after some bonsai that are very old, like a very old Fagus crenata (Japanese beech) or an old Carpinus koreana (Korean hornbeam). I … Continue reading Bonsai, It’s About the Soil – An Informed Approach