Bonsai Redux: A Penjing Symphony in Three Movements

This super-sized three part penjing is by Robert Steven; renowned bonsai artist, teacher and author, and frequent contributor to this blog. It’s the 4th of July holiday weekend. Time relax a bit. Maybe do some digging in the garden or play in the water. Maybe both. To help make this happen, here’s something we’ve almost never done before; a rerun of a previous post (with a few small changes). This one is from December 2011. In Robert Steven’s own words “This is a super large penjing I did two weeks ago. The total length is three meters (about 10 feet). … Continue reading Bonsai Redux: A Penjing Symphony in Three Movements

Born in the U.S.A. & A Couple Recent Immigrants

Picasso’s (aka Dan Robinson’s) now famous wild and wonderful Hinoki. It’s from Will Hiltz’ excellent book, Gnarly Branches, Ancient Trees, about Dan’s life and work. It’s no longer available through Stone Lantern, but I think they might still have some at Dan’s Elandan Gardens. Here’s the original Bark post. It’s Independence Day (here in the USA at least)! To help you celebrate, why not enjoy a sampling of home-grown (and a couple recent immigrant) bonsai from previous Bark posts? But first, because many of our readers are not US Americans (and because some US Americans don’t know much about history … Continue reading Born in the U.S.A. & A Couple Recent Immigrants

Quick & Easy Azaleas in Bloom

This striking Kyushu azalea (Rhododendron Kiusianum) with its wild almost chaotic trunk is from an Art of Bonsai Project contest held in 2005. It belongs to (or belonged to?) Melvyn Goldstein. The only thing I would take issue with is the pot. Not to say that this isn’t a very nice pot (and very clean and well oiled), it’s just that a shallower glazed oval might be better. BTW: Kyushu are not Satsuki azaleas. Kyushu usually bloom in March or April (depending on where they are) while Satsuki bloom in May (again depending and thus the name Satsuki, which means … Continue reading Quick & Easy Azaleas in Bloom

Stretching a Shimpaku from Kimura’s Bag of Tricks

After. Almost twice as tall (the before photo is below). So tall that there’s barely room in the photo for the top of the tree (that’s a bad joke, but the photo is a little cramped). Shimpaku juniper, height 28″ (71cm). From The Magician, The Bonsai Art of Kimura 2. For expediences sake There’s a lot going on here right now, so for expediences sake I’ve decided to resurrect a post from two years ago. It was titled That’s A Stretch, but for the sake of originality, we’ll call it Stretching a Shimpaku from Kimura’s Bag of Tricks this time. … Continue reading Stretching a Shimpaku from Kimura’s Bag of Tricks

No Mean Feat

This remarkable Satsuki azalea with its bright profusion of flowers belongs to Teunis Jan Klein. It’s not very often you see a cascade with such a long reach (both vertically and horizontally). What’s more remarkable is the mass of flowers around the tip, which is almost as strong as the crown. That much strength so far from the base is no mean feat. This photo and the other photos in this post are from Hans Van Meer’s blog. It was taken at the 7th Het Westen Bonsai Show in Delft, Netherlands. All the photos in this post have been borrowed … Continue reading No Mean Feat

Almost Incomprehensibly Thick

A picture is worth a thousand words. What better way to lend a little perspective to what turns out to be an almost incomprehensibly massive trunk with almost incomprehensibly thick bark? It’s from a Peter Tea post titled ‘The Return of the King.’ See below for a couple more photos and some info on this classic tree. Way back in January 2009, we introduced Bonsai Bark with a photo of, believe it or not, bonsai bark (see below). At the time I thought it was a pretty good shot, at least until I saw the photo above. Too late to … Continue reading Almost Incomprehensibly Thick

An All-Time Favorite

After. Finished for the moment. The challenge was for Masahiko Kimura to style a bunjin (literati) bonsai with only one branch (see below for where he started). Its uniqueness lies in its striking simplicity. It’s a Japanese red pine (Pinus densiflora). From a December 2009 post and before that from our Masters’ Series The Magician, the Bonsai Art of Kimura 2 (before that it appeared in Bonsai Today issue 69). This tree and its story are among our all-time favorites . Though it’s hard to say what Kimura would have done with this tangled-up bunjin had he not been challenged … Continue reading An All-Time Favorite

Walter Pall’s Hedge Cutting Method

The Japanese maple that Walter Pall uses to illustrate his ‘hedge-cutting method.’ This photo was taken four years after Walter started working with this tree. The before photo is below. Walter Pall’s hedge-cutting method. Our last post presented a radical approach to soil and feeding by Walter Pall, the great bonsai innovator. This post features another of Walter’s radical innovations. This time it’s about pruning broad leaf bonsai. Before continuing with Walter’s technique, I’ll reintroduce Jim Smith and see if I can bore you with a personal note. I first learned about hedge shearing bonsai from Jim Smith, a highly … Continue reading Walter Pall’s Hedge Cutting Method

Turning Some Cherished Notions on Their Heads

This Hawthorn in bloom is from Walter Pall’s Bonsai Adventures, as is the article below. The rest of the photos in this post are from Walter’s online gallery. Walter Pall, world famous bonsai artist and much more… We’ve feature Walter’s bonsai numerous times here on Bark (and in Bonsai Today) and will continue to feature them for as long as we continue posting. I won’t say much more, except that Walter produces quality trees by the hundreds (seemingly at least) and he also sometimes produces worthwhile and even provocative ideas about bonsai. What follows may be his most fascinating and … Continue reading Turning Some Cherished Notions on Their Heads

Book Review for a Unique & Exceptional New Bonsai Book

The following review of Bill Valavanis’ new Classical Bonsai Art is borrowed from Andy Rutledge’s Bonsai Journal. Andy has a knack for digging into books and bringing out nuggets of gold. In this vein (sorry bout that) Andy’s reviews include good and bad (his own words) sections, though the latter doesn’t really apply in this case. If you get a chance, I recommend that you pay Bonsai Journal a visit. You won’t be disappointed. Classical Bonsai Art, A Half Century of Bonsai Study – The Creations & Passions of William N. Valavanis Review by Andy Rutledge “Immersing oneself in … Continue reading Book Review for a Unique & Exceptional New Bonsai Book