Fukien Tea with Elephant & Other Wonders

That’s a lot of tree for a pot that size. But then that’s a commanding pot, at least in color and design. The pot and presumably the tree (Breynia officianalis) belong to Ruban Yu. This photo and the one just below are from The 11th Annual Shohin Pottery Competition, on Ryan Bell’s Japanese Bonsai Pots blog. Continuing from yesterday, here are a couple more trees from Ryan Bell’s Japanese Bonsai Pots blog. Both belong to Ruban Yu. The pots below also belong to Ruban and are from his website. Here’s what Ryan has to say about the two bonsai shown … Continue reading Fukien Tea with Elephant & Other Wonders

Shamelessly Stealing Bonsai Pots (Trees too)

I found this Kumquat on Ryan Bell’s Japanese Bonsai Pot blog. My apologies for the fuzzy photo. It’s cropped from a larger photo that originally came from Bonsai Tonight. The full photo and Ryan’s caption are below. It has been a while since we borrowed (shamelessly stoled*) from Ryan Bell’s Japanese Bonsai Pot blog. As you might expect, it’s a great photo source for some of the best bonsai pots in the world. We’ll offer a glimpse of a few here, with and without trees. If you’d like to enjoy a whole lot more, I suggest you pay Ryan a … Continue reading Shamelessly Stealing Bonsai Pots (Trees too)

Brilliant Bonsai Berries

Pyracanthas (aka Firethorns) are prolific when it comes to berries and this one is certainly no exception. It’s from a post we did in 2012. Just back from a way too short vacation and now it’s catch up time, so once again we’ll dig into our archives. This one is borrowed from last June. In just a few short months it will be fruit and berry season (sooner for some of you), so in anticipation here are three photos of Pyracanthas with berries and one in full flower. From the many to the few. It’s another Pyracantha. By Shohin … Continue reading Brilliant Bonsai Berries

The Maximum with the Minimum

Even though the crown is leaning back a bit, I’m going to call this side the front, given that it provides the best view of the trunk and the deadwood. The four photos of this tree are by Haruyosi, as are the tree and the pot. Still enjoying a short vacay, so we’ll show you another Haruyosi rerun (see yesterday). And while we’re at it, why not start at the beginning (March, 2014)? Our first of many Haruyosi posts. We don’t usually show four shots of the same bonsai, but I like this little tree a lot and the shots … Continue reading The Maximum with the Minimum

Some Sweet Little Trees by a Master Bonsai Potter

I’m going to guess that this is a crab apple. You might wonder why that shoot with large leaves, sticking up top, has been left untrimmed. I think Haruyosi is letting it grow to draw energy up and strengthen and perhaps raise the apex. Down the shore today (New Jersey) with countless trees to identify. Trees that wouldn’t stand a chance in the cold wilds of northern Vermont. So we’ll keep this short. Just some sweet little bonsai by our old favorite, Haruyosi. Haruyosi makes his own pots and often uses red glazes, which are fairly unusual. Here’s his caption … Continue reading Some Sweet Little Trees by a Master Bonsai Potter

Can There Ever Be Too Many Flowers?

This azalea would be an excellent bonsai even without the flowers. With the flowers, well, you can see for yourself. Getting ready to leave for a couple days and running late (what else is new?), so we’ll dip into our archives. This one originally appeared in 2012. BTW, my source for the photo above was Tae Kukiwon Bonsai. Can there ever be too many flowers? If you look at the two azaleas in this post, you’ll see that the one above is covered with flowers, while the one below shows a mix of flowers and foliage. Some bonsai and landscape … Continue reading Can There Ever Be Too Many Flowers?

An Astounding Japanese Beech Sitting Smack Dab…

What a great tree! What a great turntable! Both belong to Jean-Paul Polmans. His simple caption reads “I like the new turntable in my studio.” So this morning, while looking for that perfect photo of that perfect tree, on that famous social media time sump, up pops this astounding Japanese beech sitting smack dab on a Green T Turntable. How could I resist? Another Green T and another great bonsai. It’s a Holm oak that belongs to Raffaele Perilli. No caption needed. NEW Sales at Stone Lantern 40% off 100 gram rolls of Bonsai Aesthetics Wire 30% Bonsai … Continue reading An Astounding Japanese Beech Sitting Smack Dab…

Resetting the Spring & Other Wonderful Things You Can (& Can’t) Do with Pines

Japanese white pine from Michael Hagedorn’s Crataegus Bonsai portfolio. Here’s Michael’s caption: “A Japanese White pine that was entered into the Taikan-ten. This was when I was a second-year apprentice.” Every time I visit Michael Hagedorn’s Crataegus Bonsai, I learn something new. If you want to enrich your understanding of bonsai, you could do a lot worse than reading and digesting everything Michael writes. His deep knowledge of bonsai combined with an unusual gift for our American English language will help guide you to the bonsai promised land. This time it’s Michael’s post from yesterday: Big Difference Between ‘Decandling’ … Continue reading Resetting the Spring & Other Wonderful Things You Can (& Can’t) Do with Pines

Which Pot Again – Another Tree, More Choices

These four images were borrowed from Juraj Szabó. Juraj lives, works and plays in Slovakia. The tree is a Shimpaku juniper (Juniperus chinensis sargentii). Juraj doesn’t say where the pots came from, though a couple look like they might be either Tokoname or Yixing pots. Most of our previous Which Pot? posts have been lifted from Boon Manakitivipart (including yesterday’s), so it was nice to discover one from someone (and somewhere) else. Nothing against Boon’s offerings, he puts on a world class bonsai show. It’s just a nice change of pace. Some details: First, it’s best if you put your … Continue reading Which Pot Again – Another Tree, More Choices

Great Tree but Which Pot Do You Like?

Great tree. But which pot do you like? You can never have too much Boon. Boon Manakitivipart’s Which Pot do you like? series has been the source of some of our most popular posts, as have other Boon posts we’ve presented over the years. So, no need to stop now…. Boon posted these Japanese red pine photos recently. The photo above shows the two choices together. Below, for a closer look, you’ll find photos of each choice. Feel free to tell us about your choice in the comments. Square pot. The order of appearance is important in how we judge … Continue reading Great Tree but Which Pot Do You Like?