A Rare One Photo Post

Something I just found and thought you might like. I don’t know the variety, but whatever it is, it’s pretty cool. This is a very rare one-photo post. I don’t know anything about the magazine, but I do like the tree and generally like Penjing and Penjing style bonsai. The photo is from Mauro Stemberger’s facebook feed 20% to 25% off Site Wide Sale* ends Wednesday night Don’t be caught napping! 20% off orders 1.00-99.99 25% off orders 100.00 + And Don’t Worry, It’s not too Late! We are shipping the same business day on orders received by 1-2pm EST … Continue reading A Rare One Photo Post

28 Questions for an American Bonsai Apprentice

Kishu shimpaku grafted onto a Seirra juniper, recently reworked by Peter Tea. Speaking of, Peter seems to have dropped off the map. His last post was April, 2014. I haven’t heard or seen a thing from him since. Tis the season for old posts. This one is from June, 2014. The other day (this was written in 2014) I happened upon a unique and worthy bonsai blog called Yenling Bonsai that belongs to Jeremiah Lee. In the course of familiarizing myself with Jeremiah’s handiwork I came across this October 2012 interview with Peter Tea. Continued below… A great opportunity to … Continue reading 28 Questions for an American Bonsai Apprentice

Two Simple Tricks With Bonsai Wire

Japanese white pine from our 2017 Bonsai Calendar (Sorry, sold out). This tree has no doubt been repeatedly wired over years of development. The photo above is from the October page of our 2017 Bonsai Calendar. The rest of this post is from March 2010. Two dates separated by more than eight years. But the advice is timeless. Yesterday several thousand pounds of Bonsai Wire arrived and now we’ve got Kilo Rolls coming out of our ears Our Solution? Lower Kilo Wire Prices Now Only 14.80 (or 13.90) with our 20% to 25% off Site Wide Sale Too long … Continue reading Two Simple Tricks With Bonsai Wire

Ordinary Bonsai for Ordinary People

Kishu shimpaku juniper by John Brocklehurst. I like the fragile deadwood twigs and ordinary qualities of this tree, though it could use more refinement and the pot seems a little large, still most of us aspiring bonsai artists would love to see it on our bench. This may be our busiest weekend of the year. That’s my excuse for resurrecting another post from our archives. This one is from January 2013. It was titled, Small Is Still Beautiful. I chose the current title because the trees shown here, though very good, are not quite the jaw dropping world class bonsai … Continue reading Ordinary Bonsai for Ordinary People

Confused about Itoigawa, Kishu & Shimpaku Junipers?

This dynamic Juniper jumped off its digital page on my daily bonsai hunt yesterday. In addition to all its movement, there’s those two perfectly placed foliage clouds. Their gentle downward motion and soft weight help tame the upward thrust of the deadwood. Bjorn Bjorholm’s caption for this Juniper reads: “Itoigawa Shimpaku styled in 2013 during my apprenticeship at Kouka-en.” Today it’s a few dynamic Itoigawa junipers for you. The beautiful & energetic beast above is from Bjorn Bjorholm’s facebook feed. I pillaged the others from our archives. Continued below… SITE WIDE SALE 20% TO 25% OFF EVERYTHING* Don’t Worry! We … Continue reading Confused about Itoigawa, Kishu & Shimpaku Junipers?

Yamadori Pines from somewhere up near the tree line and far from the cushy life of domestically grown bonsai

A great tree with a long story of a rugged life spent on the side of cold snow burdened mountain. Somewhere up near the tree line and far from the cushy life of domestically grown bonsai Yesterday it was pines, so we’ll just keep going. Today it’s a pine mix from Amics Del Bonsai Corbera. None are identified. Nor are their owners… SITE WIDE SALE 20% TO 25% OFF EVERYTHING* Another tough yamadori (collected from the wild) pine. To my eye, this one and the one above are about as good as it gets. Neither is over-styled and both … Continue reading Yamadori Pines from somewhere up near the tree line and far from the cushy life of domestically grown bonsai

A Rock, Heavily Furrowed Bark, Ramification & a Well Developed Nebari

At first glace I thought the rock that sticks out on the right was part of the trunk. But a closer look (see below) confirms the strong suspicion that it’s a rock. And in case you’re wondering, the tree is the King of bonsai, a Japanese black pine. We’ve been borrowing great photos of Japanese bonsai from Micheal Bonsai for a long time now. I’m not sure where he gets them, but most are superb. The best of the Japanese trees… which are often simply the best. SITE WIDE SALE 20% TO 25% OFF EVERYTHING* You can see the rock … Continue reading A Rock, Heavily Furrowed Bark, Ramification & a Well Developed Nebari

World’s Youngest & Most Joyful Bonsai Artist

Too cute for a serious bonsai blog? Maybe, but I think he may be for real… if you scroll down you’ll see him picking off unhealthy needles. Then there’s his high forehead and large cranium. Maybe he knows exactly what he’s doing. The photos in this post are all is lifted from Sandy Fathurachman’s facebook page (link disabled). Thought I’d do a quick recycle for you. This post originally appeared three years ago this month. It was titled, World’s Youngest Bonsai Master. I must admit, even though it’s too cute by a factor of ten, I still like it and … Continue reading World’s Youngest & Most Joyful Bonsai Artist

A Strange & Wonderful Bonsai Beast & Other Pot-less Masterpieces

This strange and wonderful beast belongs to Michael Hagedorn. I’m pretty sure it’s a Maple, but not so sure about the variety. No matter though, it’s the amazing non-pot and playful approach to bonsai that gets me. Yesterday we featured Michael Hagedorn and his newly upgraded Crataegus Bonsai website. Today it’s more Michael, but this time it’s a quick look at some of his rather impressive collection of potless bonsai. I’ve got a big firewood delivery today and too much to do anyway, so no time for captions. You can visit Crataegus Bonsai for more photos and for the opportunity … Continue reading A Strange & Wonderful Bonsai Beast & Other Pot-less Masterpieces

Micheal Hagedorn’s Respect for the Natural Way (& Newly Upgraded Website)

This shot is from the portfolio on Michael Hagedorn’s recently upgraded Crataegus Bonsai website. I’m too busy now to try search out the varieties (I couldn’t find them in his portfolio), but I could guess that this one is a Rocky Mountain juniper, though I wouldn’t carve that in stone. The thing that I really like about Michael Hagedorn’s bonsai is the respect he shows for the natural way of bonsai, by allowing each tree to speak for itself. And very skillfully too, with an equal respect for bonsai technique. If you know Michael’s bonsai, you already know what I … Continue reading Micheal Hagedorn’s Respect for the Natural Way (& Newly Upgraded Website)