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?

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?

Sweeping Dishes & Washing Floors in Exchange for Bonsai Lessons

A little change of pace. We almost always just focus on bonsai and avoid people photos (that’s social media’s job), but this one is just too good to pass up. The peaceful Bonsai Yogi is Gede Merta of Bonsai Bali. I cropped this photo (with apologies to Scott Jackson and his great tattoo).* Another blast from our past. Starting this week, we’re going to be upgrading most of our digital universe. Pain and suffering will no doubt ensue, but it has to be done. Not that I need an excuse for resurrecting old posts, there’s more than enough work around … Continue reading Sweeping Dishes & Washing Floors in Exchange for Bonsai Lessons

Beyond Dazzling Deadwood

Colorado spruce from Ryan Neil’s Bonsai Mirai. This one is more about the bark than deadwood. Normally bark that covers deadwood is stripped to reveal the deadwood, but in this case it makes sense to just leave it. While we’re at it, we would be remiss not to mention the fantastic pot. You might notice how the trunk almost completely fills it side to side. Such relatively small pots are usually for show and not year round growing. Today we’re featuring three remarkable trees from Bonsai Mirai that we’ve never shown before. Yesterday we featured three remarkable Bonsai Mirai trees … Continue reading Beyond Dazzling Deadwood

Dazzling Deadwood

Dazzling deadwood. I think I see a live vein on the left edge of the trunk. Otherwise, this spectacular old specimen is a study in deadwood (with a little rebar thrown into the mix). It’s a Rocky Mountain juniper. The artist and owner is Ryan Neil, Bonsai Mirai. The tree was originally collected by Andy Smith of Golden Arrow Bonsai (Stone Lantern offers Andy’s excellent DVD on collecting bonsai). Intenational Bonsai Mirai has a great little back story on this intriguing old tree. This post originally appeared here in January, 2012. A lot has changed and a lot remains more … Continue reading Dazzling Deadwood

An Eccentric Bonsai with a Exceptionally Long Cascade

We found this exceptionally long cascading bonsai on the Bonsai South (Australia) website (the old link no longer works). I’ll guess it’s Ficus of some sort. The blank gap above the photo is intentional and has to do with how our posts appear on social media. The original photo is below. It’s time to dig way back into our archives. This one originally appeared in 2009, our first year. It was part of a series of posts on eccentric bonsai and was titled Eccentric Bonsai #4: A Very Long Cascade. The trees and the photos belong to Bonsai South. It’s … Continue reading An Eccentric Bonsai with a Exceptionally Long Cascade