Cuttings

Before & After – Cutting a Juniper Down to Size

The old Needle juniper, with its distinctively strange shari, belongs to Michael Hagedorn (Crataegus Bonsai). Here’s some of what Michael Hagedorn wrote about this juniper in a post titled Needle Juniper Restyling: “This tree is too tall. And the branches are a bit leggy, too. One of the problems we get into in bonsai design is that with time and growth, height and branch length can begin pulling us away from the trunk. Literally destroying the design, making it weaker. And this tree has a nice trunk, which is a good enough reason to consider redesigning it, to compact the … Continue reading Before & After – Cutting a Juniper Down to Size

In Training, a Photographic Masterpiece

In Training, a brand new photographic masterpiece by Stephen Voss has arrived at our warehouse and is ready to ship. It’s a book that started generating buzz way before it even went to the printer, including at Slate magazine in an article titled, Zen & the Art of Bonsai Maintenance. Since then it has been featured in a number of places in and out of the bonsai world. Here’s a quote from Ryan Neil (Bonsai Mirai) about this remarkable book, “There’s an intimacy to bonsai that is largely invisible. It exists in those sacred moments between artist and tree in … Continue reading In Training, a Photographic Masterpiece

Old School Bonsai – Clip & Grow

This massive Trident maple most likely started in a field somewhere and was allowed to grow quite tall (the fastest way to thicken the trunk) before it was cut back. This first cut was the beginning of clip and grow styling (see below). The owner/artist of this outstanding bonsai is German Gomez. Most large Trident maples and many other deciduous trees are started in the field and developed using the clip and grow technique. The result is usually a heavy trunked tree with gentle curves, often in a more or less S shape. You can see this basic shape in … Continue reading Old School Bonsai – Clip & Grow

A Muscular Little Bonsai & A Muscular Bonsai Tool Sale

The thing that amazes me about this muscular little tree is how the base of the trunk almost completely fills the pot and how small the pot is for the overall size of the tree. Not just small for the massive little trunk, but small for supporting the profusion of lush foliage. There just can’t be that much room for roots. Of course we know this is a show pot and as soon as the tree goes back to the nursery it will be put back into a larger pot. The tree is a Japanese black pine from our Masters … Continue reading A Muscular Little Bonsai & A Muscular Bonsai Tool Sale

Wraparound Bonsai & Two Great Specials End Tonight

This distinctively unusual Mugo pine received Marco Invernizzi’s Ichiban* Award at the 2008 Art of Bonsai Awards. The artist is Alfredo Salaccione from Italy. If you spend a lot of time looking at bonsai, you might come to appreciate unusual features. Features that make a tree not only interesting, but unique. In the case of the Mugo pine above, there are several that stand out. The most obvious feature, one that immediately catches the eye, is the way the trunk wraps around and frames the tree’s crown. This alone, makes for a very unusual and distinctive bonsai. A bonsai that … Continue reading Wraparound Bonsai & Two Great Specials End Tonight

Before, After & Midway Through

Mugo pine by Walter Pall. Here’s what Walter wrote about this tree: “This one has exceptional potential. Unfortunately, it almost died a few years ago. Now it is recovering and some day it will shine again.” From the looks of it, I’d say it’s already shining. I can think of at least four good reasons to feature this tree… First, the artist is Walter Pall, a favorite on here on Bark and someone whose trees are featured in Modern Bonsai Practice, a groundbreaking new bonsai book. Second, it’s a Before & After, which judging by responses is a favorite topic. … Continue reading Before, After & Midway Through

Art Disguised as Bonsai Pots

These nine pots are but a small sampling of Horst Heinzlreiter’s remarkably diverse (in shapes and glazes) collection of bonsai pots. I hope you enjoy these exquisite examples of art disguised as bonsai pots as much as I do. The artist is Horst Heinzlreiter, a long time favorite here on bark. And even though we’ve shown dozens of his brilliant pots, most of these are new to us. I spent a year of my youth in Europe, with much of that time wandering around art museums. Two of the artists who stood out are Joan Miró and Paul Klee. if you’re … Continue reading Art Disguised as Bonsai Pots

Taking a Covered Wagon to the U.S. Bonsai Exhibition

There’s almost noting more beautiful than a Japanese maple in full fall color. This one is from the 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition website. We just got a notice from Ryan Neil (Bonsai Mirai) about a covered wagon* full of bonsai that will be making the arduous journey from Portland Oregon to Rochester N.Y. for the 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition. If you’re exhibiting and your bonsai (or your merchandise) needs a lift, here’s you link. *It’s actually a refrigerated truck. The ‘covered wagon’ is a clever way to grab your attention (and indulge in a little word play). Time … Continue reading Taking a Covered Wagon to the U.S. Bonsai Exhibition

The Art of Illusion

The profusion of such tiny figures make this tree look absolutely massive. This effect is not an accident. Whoever put this together has a masterful grasp of spatial relations, perspective, the art of illusion… however you want to say it. He or she is also a very accomplished bonsai artist. Just the tree would stand alone as a superior tropical bonsai. We don’t post that often on Penjing tray plantings, but the photo above was just too good to pass up. It was posted by Sanjay Dham on Bonsai Club India. Sanjay’s caption says only “From China Penjing & Scholars … Continue reading The Art of Illusion

Growing Superior Pine Bonsai

One of the most famous Japanese white pine (Pinus parviflora) bonsai in the world. After restyling by Masahiko Kimura (aka the Magician). This photo is from the White pine gallery in our Masters’ Series Pine Book. If you would like to grow pine bonsai, there no better place to start (and continue) than with our Masters Series Pine book. We’ll show you just a few photos and illustrations along with the Table of Contents, so you’ll have some idea of the depth and scope of this remarkable book. Though I know this post reads suspiciously like an infomercial (our Pine … Continue reading Growing Superior Pine Bonsai