Harry Harrington’s Spectacular Bonsai

I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen a privet bonsai quite this spectacular. It belongs to Harry Harrington. We’ve featured it a couple times over the years, but this latest iteration takes it to another level. Here’s Harry’s caption… “So at last, here it is……..taken last night under lights, my Common Privet bonsai (Ligustrum ovalifolium), height 19″/48cm. In a handmade bonsai pot designed and built by Swedish potter Thor Holvila” Harry Harrington’s bonsai4me has long been one of our default websites when it comes to researching a wide range of bonsai and useful bonsai information. Harry also posts a steady stream … Continue reading Harry Harrington’s Spectacular Bonsai

Fall Transplanting – Timing and a Light Touch

A freshly transplanted Black pine. From our Masters’ Series Pine book. When it comes to transplanting, timing depends on your climate. Here in northern Vermont seasons can change rapidly and winters are very cold. If you live in a warmer climate fall comes later for you and there is more margin for error. One advantage to transplanting in the early fall is when the spring season starts, little or no growing time is lost. Roots grow in the fall when the soil is still warm and after diminished light and cool nights have shut top growth down. By the time … Continue reading Fall Transplanting – Timing and a Light Touch

Pierre Leloup’s Latest Masterpiece Bonsai Landscape

This is what happens when you have a bonsai artist who also happens to be a master woodworker, sculptor and highly skilled Japanese garden designer and builder. His name is Pierre Leloup, and once again we are honored to feature one of his masterpieces here on Bonsai Bark (a photo of Pierre’s now famous 2012 planting is below). I have long been a fan of Pierre Leloup’s masterful bonsai landscapes. And for good reason; there are simply no others quite like them anywhere. Continued below… Here’s a close up of the center section of Pierre’s planting. I first met Pierre … Continue reading Pierre Leloup’s Latest Masterpiece Bonsai Landscape

Sumptuous Satsuki Bonsai & 3 Big Sales End in 2 Days

This sumptuous Satsuki is from Bill Valavanis’ 2014 Japan Satsuki tour. Based on the massive trunk there’s a good chance that it was originally field grown or dug up after a long time in someone’s garden. I was going to make this post about digging from the wild and field growing, but it’s a very large topic and it’s Monday morning and ten thousand emails await, so we’ll just have to postpone until there’s more time to dig (intended) into it. Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy these two sumptuous Satsuki azaleas. Here’s another powerful Satsuki azalea that may have been … Continue reading Sumptuous Satsuki Bonsai & 3 Big Sales End in 2 Days

Late Summer Bonsai Brilliance

Brilliant Bougainvillea from a post titled Welcome Summer! by Salvatore Liporace. I cropped it for a closer look. The original is below. Not only are Bougainvilleas brilliant when flowering, but they are easy to grow. That is if you live in a tropical or subtropical climate. Here in the North, wintering is a challenge, which isn’t that much different than with many other tropical or subtropical bonsai. When it comes to care, two things stand out. Bougs are sun lovers and they don’t like to stay wet for too long. In order for Bougainvilleas to flourish and most importantly to flower, … Continue reading Late Summer Bonsai Brilliance

Purple Rain & a Stupendous Bonsai Book Sale

Purple rain. From an early Bark post (September 2010). I’ve got a climbing Wisteria on my front porch that never blooms. Our northern Vermont winters are too cold (it dies back to the ground each winter) and our growing season is too short. Still, one can hope… Meanwhile, here are three wildly blooming Wisteria bonsai for your viewing pleasure. Continued below… Stupendous Bonsai Book and DVD Sale 25% to 32.5% off* all our of our Bonsai Books and DVDs (other books too) discounts are off our already discounted prices Plus FREE Shipping on U.S. orders 49.00 or more *Just in … Continue reading Purple Rain & a Stupendous Bonsai Book Sale

If you only visit one bonsai event this year, make it the 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition

I borrowed this famous cascading Juniper from he 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition website (cropped to better fit a certain social media’s format). If you only visit one bonsai event this year, I suggest you choose the 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition. Rochester NY, September 10th & 11th. Rearrange you life if necessary so you can be there. Each one is better than the last and the last one (two years ago) was mind-stopping. The buzz was palpable and from conversations with dozens of others, the feeling was universal. And it wasn’t just the bonsai, though they amazed more each … Continue reading If you only visit one bonsai event this year, make it the 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition

An Awesome Adventure Awaits…

The 8th World Bonsai Convention is a big deal in our world. So were 7th, 6th and so forth, though I’m not so sure I remember that much about the earliest ones. Anyway, they’ve got a website waiting for you and they’ve got an awesome bonsai adventure waiting for you too. I’d like to say ‘see you there‘ but we’ll see about that. As long as we’re promoting something, we might as well do a little of our own. Take a look at our Bonsai Book Sale. 25% to 32.5% off our already discounted prices (see below). It’s great opportunity … Continue reading An Awesome Adventure Awaits…

The Time Is Right…

One of the over 150 bonsai by Walter Pall that are featured in the gallery of Modern Bonsai Practice, a ground breaking New Bonsai book. Learning the art of bonsai from the best bonsai books is an essential way to upgrade your bonsai skills. Second only to taking live courses from expert bonsai teachers. Many of us have advanced our bonsai skills by relying on books and our willingness to just jump in and learn as we go. You might even say trial and error, though we hope it’s more trial and less error. This post is a reminder about … Continue reading The Time Is Right…

Black Pine Bonsai – Before & After (Seriously)

A Japanese black pine after some serious trimming. If you look at the photo just below, you might notice that there has also been some serious needle reduction. The tree and the photos in this post belong to Boon Manakitivipart (aka Bonsai Boon). The first two photos shown here provide a simple before and after on a Japanese black pine. As you can see it’s a remarkable tree. I was especially taken with the deeply striated bark and the way it flows into the nebari. Another thing that struck me about this tree is just how far American bonsai has … Continue reading Black Pine Bonsai – Before & After (Seriously)