Keeping the Bonsai Vibe Cool in Rising Summer Heat

Here’s what Bjorn Bjornholm wrote about this impressive root-over-rock (root-swallowing rock) bonsai. “Trident Maple after defoliation and subsequent second flush. The leaves are all pinky nail size or smaller.” Given all the publicity lately, you might think Bjorn Bjorholm is a rising bonsai superstar. A couple weeks ago we featured a post about Bjorn Bjorholm’s Online Bonsai Course and so far we’ve featured about a dozen posts on Bjorn and his bonsai. All the photos in this post are from Bjorn’s facebook feed. You might also like to visit his website and Bonsai Empire’s site on Bjorn’s intermediate online bonsai … Continue reading Keeping the Bonsai Vibe Cool in Rising Summer Heat

Black Pine, Red Wine & Suthin’s Great Bonsai Event

Black pine, red wine. The essence of a good bonsai life. What if Suthin Sukosolvisit was selling most of his magnificent bonsai collection and you weren’t there? Well, Suthin is selling most of his magnificent bonsai collection and fortunately, you can be there. Royal Bonsai, Stoughton Mass, this coming weekend, June 25th & 26th. Buy your ticket. Gas up your car. Get out your bicycle and fill up the tires. Hitch up your horse. Put on your walking shoes and stick out your thumb. Whatever it takes. As long we’re promoting our Suthin’s business we might as well promote our … Continue reading Black Pine, Red Wine & Suthin’s Great Bonsai Event

A Melancólico & Gracioso Walk Among the Bonsai

This powerful and complex bonsai is the handiwork of Nacho Marin. It’s a bit of a long story, but Bonsai Do* provided famous quotes in Spanish with photos of bonsai. The quote with this tree follows: El otoño es un andante melancólico y gracioso que prepara admirablemente el solemne adagio del invierno – Fall is a sad and graceful walk that admirably prepares for the solemn walk of winter. (George Sand). Yesterday it was all Nacho. So we’ll keep the ball rolling in the same direction. This post originally appeared here in January 2015. It was titled ‘Un andante gracioso … Continue reading A Melancólico & Gracioso Walk Among the Bonsai

Michelangelo & Bonsai at Its Best

I’m loving this tree. Even though we know it has been worked by human hands, the link to its natural state hasn’t been lost at all. If anything it has been enhanced. Bonsai at its best! No variety is given, though it looks like a collected juniper. Nacho Marin is someone who was already an artist when he discovered bonsai and who brought his vision, talent and experience to the art. And though people often say that we are all artists, still, most of us will never be Michelangelo,* no matter how hard we try… The images shown here are … Continue reading Michelangelo & Bonsai at Its Best

Old Masters Bonsai Displays

Hornbeam (Carpinus laxiflora) forest on a slab and Shimpaku juniper on a spectacular rock. This image captures only half of a display by Grand Master Saburo Kato. This post first appeared here in our earliest days (August, 2009). The displays themselves are from earlier (Bonsai Today issue 43, 1996). Our photo format is considerably larger now and I even cropped and enlarged a couple individual trees for closer views ( a little fuzzy, but might be helpful- see below). Otherwise, though bonsai keeps evolving, masterful bonsai is still masterful bonsai. Each group display in this post is by a single … Continue reading Old Masters Bonsai Displays

Bonsai Magic at Night

Black pine in the black of night. From the collection of Masahiko Kimura (The Magician). There’s a lot going on here and it’s just me today so we’ll plug back into our archives. This post is from September 2012. The photos were borrowed from El Tim Bonsai. It’s not often you see bonsai photographed in the dark. In this case the effects are rather magical (no pun intended). If you look at the El Tim KIMURA album, you’ll see a bunch of photos of phenomenal bonsai that were shot during the day, followed by a few photos of phenomenal bonsai … Continue reading Bonsai Magic at Night

A Common Mistake?

This image showing three tropical bonsai, each with two different crowns, was originally borrowed from Robert Steven. This post is worth another airing (here’s the original from last year). The topic is something many of us don’t think about that much when designing bonsai, though maybe we should. We’ll let you be the judge. The three trees on the left (above) are tropicals that are shaped like conifers. To Robert Steven and to many others, this a mistake. A common mistake to be sure, but still a mistake. The three trees on the right have more rounded and therefore natural … Continue reading A Common Mistake?

American Tropical Bonsai, Hurricane Andrew & One Penjing

Would you say that this prize winning Ficus neriifolia by Ed Trout looks relaxed and sensuous? Maybe, but it’s hard to deny its powerful trunk and nebari which lend stability to the tree’s natural uncontrived look. Monday morning and too much going on around here, so it’s time to dig into our archives once again. This one is from all the way back in April 2010. It was titled Tropical Bonsai with Mary Miller & Friends. I’ve enlarged and brightened the photos a bit, and done a little rewriting. All the photos were originally from Bonsai Mary. Mary Miller is … Continue reading American Tropical Bonsai, Hurricane Andrew & One Penjing

So Many Great Bonsai Offered in One Place at One Time

I would like to encourage you make the trip (long or short) to Suthin Sokusolvisit’s upcoming Private Collection Sales Event. Not because there’s anything in it for me (there isn’t) but because Suthin is one of our most accomplished American bonsai artists and so many great trees offered in one place at one time is a truly rare occasion. And though I don’t like to get all dopey about people, still, if you’ve met Suthin, chances are you consider him a friend. details below… The dates are June 25th and 26th. The place is Suthin’s Royal Bonsai Garden, in Stoughton, Mass. … Continue reading So Many Great Bonsai Offered in One Place at One Time

A Magnificent Monster & Bjorn’s Online Bonsai Course

The magnificent monster was sent to us by Oscar at Bonsai Empire. It’s part of a package about Bjorn Bjorholm’s upcoming online intermediate bonsai course. This post is not so much about this tree above (or the others shown here) as it is about an upcoming online bonsai course by Bjorn Bjorholm. However, I will assume a connection… that Bjorn at some point had a hand and scissors in them all. He has been fortunate in that regard; his six plus years of apprenticeship under the famous Bonsai master Keiichi Fujikawa afforded countless opportunities to advance his hard earned skills … Continue reading A Magnificent Monster & Bjorn’s Online Bonsai Course