Weekly Wire: Ancient Bones & the Wheel of Bonsai Wisdom

Ancient bones. I like the way the fresh foliage seems to hang from the tree’s ancient bones (though I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a stand so in need of refinishing). This strikingly unique bonsai is one of many excellent trees at Taiwan Bonsai World. Free Advertising! What if you could advertise your bonsai event for free on a Bonsai Blog with over 30,00 visitors a month? Turns out, you can! Right here on Bonsai Bark. Just put your event (with links please) in the comments below and I’ll take from there. Have you seen this issue? Neither have … Continue reading Weekly Wire: Ancient Bones & the Wheel of Bonsai Wisdom

Eighty Two and Still Going Strong

I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a bunjin style bonsai in such a deep pot. You almost always see them in shallow round or near-round pots. No problem though, this one works to perfection; a spectacular tree with a simply lustrous pot. I think the heavy foliage (unusual for a bunjin) helps balance the heavy pot. Thanks again to Mr. Tea The photos in this post are all courtesy of Peter Tea, our current favorite bonsai apprentice (nothing personal to the rest of our apprenti in Japan, it’s just that Peter keeps sending great stuff). Meifu-ten, a show for … Continue reading Eighty Two and Still Going Strong

Weekly Wire: The End of Lime Sulfur?

This Trident maple root-over-rock belongs to Jonas Dupuich. It’s from a Bonsai Tonight article about the 11th Bay Island Bonsai Exhibit. The Bay Island Bonsai 13th Annual Bonsai Exhibit is coming very soon (Jan 13-14 14-15). Judging by photos from previous exhibits, it looks like it’s one of the better bonsai shows in North America. It’s at the Oakland Lakeside Garden Center, 666 Bellevue Ave. For more information: (510) 919-5042 or visit their website. The following turned out to be much ado about almost nothing (12/24/12). Bad news about lime sulfur. It’s hard to imagine bonsai without lime sulfur. But … Continue reading Weekly Wire: The End of Lime Sulfur?

Mario’s Almost Bonsai

The third to last photo in a long sequence by Mario Komsta. Mario’s comment on this photo is ‘almost bonsai.’ Pretty good for an ‘almost.’ From a facebook album by Mario. From freshly dug to ‘almost bonsai’ The photos here present a sampling of a step-by-step series on a very creative (and skillful) bonsai transformation by Mario Komsta. We’ve featured Mario’s bonsai several times on Bonsai Bark, and for good reason. To my eye, Mario is one of the West’s elite young bonsai artists. You might even say that Mario is one of the elite bonsai artists, period. You can … Continue reading Mario’s Almost Bonsai

A Rare & Wonderful Bunjin Bonsai

This Eastern white pine (Pinus Strobus) was donated to the Chicago Botanic Garden by Jim Doyle (Nature’s Way Nursery). The photo is by Steve Moore (Bonsai in Hoosierland). Common but very uncommon There are three things that I find striking about this tree: first, it’s an Eastern white pine, a tree that you almost never see as a bonsai, even though it’s quite common here in the Northeast. Second, it’s skinny but old (the bark gives it away). Another rarity when it comes to Eastern white pines. Third, it’s a good bunjin bonsai, healthy and understated, with just enough graceful … Continue reading A Rare & Wonderful Bunjin Bonsai

Eccentric Bonsai: Too Strange, or Just Strange Enough?

Strange as this magnificent old tree is, it all works together to with a perfect blend of eccentricity and balance. But the nebari? That takes some getting use to. (This photo and the others in this post are from Peter Tea Bonsai.) A good place to start resurrecting Way back in 2009 and early 2010 we ran a series of posts that we called Eccentric Bonsai (here’s the last one). Maybe it’s time to resurrect the series. If so, this absolutely unique Trident maple seems like a good place to start. Borrowing from Peter… As you may have noticed, we’ve … Continue reading Eccentric Bonsai: Too Strange, or Just Strange Enough?

Rice for Five Years: The Life of a Bonsai Apprentice

Nice maple, even though the color in the photo is way too white. From Peter Tea’s post ‘Apprenticeship and a Japanese Maple.’ Loyalty, humility and inequality for 15,000 yen a month… Others have written about their bonsai apprenticeship in Japan (most notable is Michael Hagedorn’s most excellent and seriously funny: Post-Dated: The Schooling of an Irreverent Bonsai Monk) and now we have Peter Tea‘s genuine (and genuinely funny at times) new voice enriching the mix. I won’t say much more (Peter can speak quite well for himself), except to encourage you to pay a visit to Peter’s blog and especially … Continue reading Rice for Five Years: The Life of a Bonsai Apprentice

Michael’s Miraculous Escape

A famous Foemina juniper after Michael Hagedorn ruined it (just kidding…). Photos are from Michael’s Crataegus Bonsai. Tar and feathers If I was inclined to envy, I think I’d chose Michael Hagedorn’s writing skills to be envious of (taking nothing away from his considerable bonsai skills). Fortunately, my experience is more one of appreciation than envy (still, if I could only….). Anyway, I’ll let Michael speak for himself: “No matter how assured you are, changing the design of a famous tree is done with a deep intake of breath. One takes precautions. Like boarding up windows and doors, in premonition … Continue reading Michael’s Miraculous Escape

Weekly Wire: Nifty Nebari, Bonsai Cloud & What Happened to Fresno?

Pemphis acidula by Gedemerta Bonsaibali. For a while now, facebook has been inundated with bonsai by Gedemerta. Turns out, that’s a good thing if you like exciting tropical bonsai. If you’re not friends on facebook, you can see more of Gede Merta’s trees on Beial blog (on facebook it’s Gedemerta; on Beial it’s Gede Merta). Bonsai from Scratch prizes Are there any winners out there who haven’t collected their prizes yet? If so, please contact me at wayne@stonelantern.com. Do you have an upcoming bonsai event that you want to promote? Let us know and we’ll publish it for you. wayne@stonelantern.com. … Continue reading Weekly Wire: Nifty Nebari, Bonsai Cloud & What Happened to Fresno?

Wire By The Ton & A Simple Lesson

A very simple wiring lesson. It’s pretty self explanatory, but if you need more explanation, check out ‘Wiring a Young Tree’ in Bonsai Today issue 107 (Bonsai Today back issues are currently 70% off at Stone Lantern). That’s a lot of bonsai wire It’s now official. We have sold almost exactly one ton of Bonsai Aesthetics wire since we started offering it on June 26th of this year. Two very good reasons There are two very good reasons why Bonsai Aesthetics wire is so popular: first, quality: it’s easy to use and it holds very well. Second, low prices. 1 … Continue reading Wire By The Ton & A Simple Lesson