Buy a Level for Your Bonsai Bench – Even Better, Use It!

This Red maple (Acer rubrum) is from Michael Hagedorn’s Crataegus Bonsai Portfolio. To my mind it represents something basic about the best bonsai. The ones you might pass by while searching for something showy. I was lucky when I was there, Michael pointed this one out and told me a story about it. Now you can read that same story. Micheal, ever the poet philosopher, titled it The Blaze of Autumn Sweetly Burns. This post is a twofer. First there’s the tree above and an invitation to learn more about it and other trees that belong to Micheal Hagedorn. And second … Continue reading Buy a Level for Your Bonsai Bench – Even Better, Use It!

More Magnificent Mugo Pines

This superb Mugo pine has a distinctly natural feel. Almost as if someone found it just as is, growing somewhere high in the European Alps. Still, whenever you see a bonsai, a human hand is intimately involved. Even when the tree appears perfectly natural (in some cases, especially when the tree appears perfectly natural). In the case of both trees shown here, the human hand belongs to Georg Reinhard. We borrowed the photos from a post we did in November, 2010. It was titled Mugos by Mother Nature & Georg Reinhard Continuing with our Mugo pine theme from yesterday… I … Continue reading More Magnificent Mugo Pines

A Rugged Old Mugo Pine and a Lovely Japanese Garden

Close up of an old yamadori Mugo pine’s trunk. It belongs to Mariusz Folda. Here’s his caption… “Pinus mugo in training at IBUKI for 16 years.” IBUKI is Mariusz’s Bonsai and Ceramics studio in Bielsko-Biala, Poland There’s a lot to like about this old Mugo pine. Aged bark is always a plus as is deeply fissured, naturally colored deadwood. Perhaps most striking is the way the foliage clings to the trunk and primary branches, creating a low dense canopy that enhances the story of a rugged life at the tree line in a high mountain range (three in a row… don’t tell my high school English teacher). Maybe somewhere in the Alps in this case, … Continue reading A Rugged Old Mugo Pine and a Lovely Japanese Garden

Bonsai Wizardry – Before & After

Hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) before and after. The artist is Suthin Sukosolvisit, who wrote that it took only one year from before to after, which might lead you to believe that the before tree is bigger than it looks. Here’s your link to the original Suthin, day three… Part of this post is from one we did back in December 2013. It was titled Flying High with Suthin (don’t even think it… I was on a plane). Coincidentally, in that original post I happened to mention a bit about flying by the comedian Louie C.K., who unfortunately is in the news this week . NEW Bonsai Aesthetics … Continue reading Bonsai Wizardry – Before & After

Just for Fun!!! – Shohin Mugo Pine Before & After

After. Mugo pine by Suthin Sukosolvisit. We know you like to see the before and after photos side by side, but in this case it doesn’t fit the format on social media, so we put it just below Continuing with Suthin. Today it’s a Before and After. As you can see just below, something very unusual has happened. How did he compress this tree so radically? And how long did it take him? Suthin doesn’t say, but if you look at the closeup below, it’s not too difficult to see. Both photos shown here are from Suthin’s timeline. Continued below… NEW SPECIAL Okatsune Bonsai & … Continue reading Just for Fun!!! – Shohin Mugo Pine Before & After

Japanese Maple Bonsai with a Natural Look

This rugged, natural looking Japanese maple belongs to Walter Pall, an artist with a longstanding commitment to natural looking bonsai If there’s one thing you could say about Walter Pall (aside from his prodigious skill) it’s that his bonsai never look over styled. They tend toward the natural untouched-by-human-hands look, though in fact, Walter’s hands are deeply involved every step of the way. Continued below… NEW KOYO BONSAI TOOL SPECIAL all Koyo Tools 25% to 40% off list prices Masters Sword Shears one of over 50 different Koyo tools we offer this special ends Nov 14th, at noon EST – A closer look … Continue reading Japanese Maple Bonsai with a Natural Look

A Masterful Example of how Energy Can Be Redirected

This powerful old cascading Japanese Black Pine (Pinus thunbergii) is a masterful example of how energy can be directed downward in a tree that naturally wants to grow upward. The photo is from Bonsai Today Master Series; Pines. A late start today, so it’s time for a journey into our past. This post was one of our very firsts (Feb 2009 with an added azalea photo from a later post), but like so much with bonsai, is still 100% pertinent today… and tomorrow, and so forth. Whenever you prune, trim or pinch, you are redirecting energy. If you remove a … Continue reading A Masterful Example of how Energy Can Be Redirected

Bonsai – Small – Medium – Large

Based on the brilliant little apples and what look like apple leaves, you might conclude that this is a crab apple. The whole tree is shown below All the photos shown here are from a post titled Small – Medium – Large on Morten Albek’s Shohin-Europe blog, though medium and especially large bonsai are pretty scarce. Here what Morten wrote about them… “The Danish Bonsai Society – and the local group mainly – did an exhibition over the past weekend. I visited and found some very nice displays. Autumn is a great time to display, especially Shohin that express the seasons … Continue reading Bonsai – Small – Medium – Large

Another Outstanding Before & After Bonsai

Before and after by Mariusz Komsta. Mariusz doesn’t identify the tree, but I’ll go out on a limb and say it’s a yew (Taxus). Two recurring themes these days are before and after bonsai and yews (Taxus). I like both and you seem to feel the same, so why not? All the photos in today’s and yesterday’s posts were borrowed from Mariusz Komsta, a long time favorite here on Bark LOWEST WIRE PRICE YET 500 gram (1.1 lb) BONSAI WIRE ONLY 7.95 PER ROLL this special will end November 8th at noon EST Before… After. From overgrown to a balanced, open and refreshed … Continue reading Another Outstanding Before & After Bonsai

Bonsai Baby

Couldn’t resist this monster tree with its perfect baby accent. Based on the caption with the photo below and other compelling evidence, I think it’s a safe guess that this photo was taken at Luis Vallejo’s Museo De Bonsais Alcobendas and the baby belongs to Mariusz Janusz Komsta (or perhaps more accurately, Mariusz belongs to the baby) We’ve featured Luis Vallejo’s bonsai numerous times here on Bark (very recently too) and the same goes for Mariusz Komsta’s bonsai. But never quite like this. BONSAI AESTHETICS TOOL SPECIAL 30% OFF LIST PRICES Aesthetics tools for the budget minded bonsai enthusiast special ends Nov 5th at noon … Continue reading Bonsai Baby