New Roshi Tool Special & New Shohin Bonsai Course

mortenfall

Colorful fall highlights at Morten Albek's Shohin bonsai garden

NEW ONLINE BONSAI COURSE

Morten Albek of Shohin Bonsai Europe and Oscar Jonker at Bonsai Empire have teamed up to create a Brand New Online Shohin Bonsai Course. I am familiar with both of these gentlemen (Stone Lantern published and edited Morten’s Shohin Bonsai, Majesty in Miniature – sorry, out of print – and I’ve been borrowing great photos from Oscar for a long time), so if my two cents are still worth anything, I’m betting it’s a winner

You’ll need some good tools if you’re going to take the course

NEW ROSHI TOOL SPECIAL

30% off list prices

Roshi2770

 Over 50 individual Roshi Tools plus 18 different Sets & Kits

Not only do Roshi Tools look great, but they feel good in your hand
and best of all, they cut like butter

TKRS-1-ZIP-1

18 different Stainless & Carbon Steel Sets and Kits
Now also 30% off list

EMPIRE-bonsai-pots-basics.00_05_20_14.Still021

Morten's skilled hand with one of his Shohin bonsai
Juniper-stylingMorten's other skilled hand. You can tell he means business

In case you missed it above, here’s your link for the Shohin course 

And here’s your link to Stone Lantern for your bonsai essentials
and of course, gifts for your favorite bonsai lover

All ProductsSTONELANTERN.COM

Deeply Discounted Bonsai & Japanese Garden Products at Stone Lantern

Kimura Playing with Bonsai

kim

One of Masahiko Kimura's famous juniper rock plantings at the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum. Here's their caption... "Autumn Special Exhibition: Contemporary Bonsai Masters: Masahiko Kimura; Playing with Bonsai, the Origin of His Works"

Today’s photos are from the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum. I don’t know who the photographer is, but the results are great, especially the one above with its soft texture and colors. But what really caught my eye is the way the foliage stands out from the rock and shadows in the background

All the trees are the work of the world’s most famous Bonsai artist, Masahiko Kimura (The Magician). Here’s a quote from the Museum…  “Kimura, a well-known devotee to bonsai who has created and cared for many masterpieces… not for financial gain, but as a bonsai master. This piece (above) expresses the beautiful scenery of trees rooted on the precipice of China’s unique rock formations”
Continued below…

NEW ROSHI TOOL SPECIAL

30% off List Prices

see below
–

shim

You can barely see a small piece of the living vein on this juniper. No variety is given, but it looks like a Shimpaku, a variety that Kimura (and much of the world) seems to favor

Omiya quote continued from above…
“Because Kimura is able to remove himself from bonsai art as a purely professional pursuit, he has created space for himself to play with the world of compositional, or sosaku, bonsai. In this exhibition we offer bonsai representative of Kimura’s work that have carved his name in to the stone of bonsai history” For the rest of the text, you can visit Omiya on facebook

 

Here's a famous Kimura planting that has spawned numerous copycats. The trees are Hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa)

B1KIM2-61-500x6411

The Magician
The Bonsai Art of Kimura 2

available at Stone Lantern
–

cu

This closeup provides a feel for just how old the trunks are

 

white

Japanese white pine (aka Japanese five needle pine, Goyomatsu, Pinus parviflora)

NEW ROSHI TOOL SPECIAL

30% OFF LIST PRICES

Special Includes Tool Kits & Sets

TM-Roshi Banner

Roshi Bonsai Tools Are Famous
for Precision, Durability, Beauty & Good Prices

 

FREE Shipping on Continental U.S. orders 75.00+
but you must chose Free Shipping when you check out

 

Deeply Discounted Bonsai & Japanese Garden Products at Stone Lantern

Finding a Way to Improve Any Bonsai

Fajri-SimulationRobert Steven's simulation of a Pemphis acidula that was submitted by Nurul Fajri (the original photo is below).

Traveling today, so it’s archive time. We first featured the critique back in November, 2013. The tree is exceptional and worth another look

When I opened my email from Robert Steven and glanced at the before photo (below), I thought it was the after photo. But only for a moment. It’s the pot that gave it away. The rest looked pretty good (some of us might trade our entire collections for a tree like this). But not good enough for Robert who always seems to find ways to improve any bonsai.

TWO GREAT JAPANESE TOOL SALES
END TONIGHT
see below
–

FajriThe photo that Nurul Fajri submitted to Robert.

Robert’s Critique
Pemphis acidula that are collected from nature often have rocks attached. Composing harmonious designs that incorporate these rocks while retaining a tropical look, requires well-developed bonsai sensibilities and skill.

The trunk, the foliage and the pot, which are the basic elements in the design above, look like they are all from different sources and lack unity. The neat round crown suggests a formal tree and does not fit with the casual character of the trunk; it’s apical shape breaks the flow from the trunk to the releasing tip. Also, the pot is too big for the rocky base; its bulky heavy feel distracts from the natural beauty of the tree. Consequently, the overall design lacks harmony and the tree’s dynamic movement is not adequately expressed.

The ideal shape for the crown is irregular. This fits much better with tree’s the casual feel. In order to improve the visual balance, the trunk is leaned slightly to the left. Due to the heavy rock, the best way to minimize the bulky base is to use a shallow hand-made container. Its natural shape also fits well with the other elements. As a result of these changes, a more dynamic and harmonious mood is created.

Robert’s General Comments
There is more than one way to design any bonsai and my critiques and recommended solutions might not always fit your taste and personal preferences, but I always try to give my opinion based on artistic and horticultural principles.

To understand my concepts better, please read my books Vision of My Soul (out of stock for now) and Mission of Transformation which is available at Stone Lantern.

Your are also welcome to visit my facebook pages and my bonsai blog.

Nurul-Fajri
 Robert helped Nurul Fajri make this background for his display in the International Bonsai Art & Culture Biennale 2014.

 

Two Great japanese Tool Sales
end tonight
Tools-Koyo1-500x30330% off list
Koyo Japanese Bonsai Tools
Okatsune bonsai & garden tools

BTbanner32-500x221Bonsai Today Back issues only 5.00 each

FREE Shipping on Continental U.S. orders 75.00 or more
but only if you select Free Shipping when you check out

Deeply Discounted Bonsai & Japanese Garden Products at Stone Lantern

A Bonsai Feast for Tired Eyes

FULL MOON MAPLE SATURDAY

A feast for tired eyes!* Two day ago we featured a photo of Bill Valavanis' full moon maple. Yesterday Bill sent us this photo of the same tree. The other one was good, but the detail and over all quality is even better on this one

Off to see Hamilton in Boston tonight, so we’ll make this one short and sweet… just two photos. Both came via Bill Valavanis. Everything else I know is in the captions

Two 30% off TOOL SPECIALS
End Tomorrow Night

OKATSUNE BONSAI & GARDEN TOOLS
KOYO BONSAI TOOLS

specials end Friday, Nov 9th at 11:59pm EST

 

crabapple

I found this famous little Crabapple on Bill's blog. It belongs to Harvey Carapella (remember him from last week?). Here's part of what Bill wrote about Harvey... "Harvey has combined his graphic art background with his natural artistic talent to grow, design and display fine quality bonsai. Many of his bonsai exceed the quality of those created by professional bonsai artists. One of his bonsai, a Crabapple, was the logo for the 2008 1stUS National Bonsai Exhibition. Several of his bonsai have been featured in International BONSAI both on the cover and in the Masterpiece Bonsai Gallery."

*The tired eyes are mine… too much going on and not enough sleep the last couple days

NEW 30% OFF
HAWS WATERING CANS

Watering Cans

Haws watering can are renowned around the world
for their quality and beauty

Now all 30% off our list prices

 

FREE SHIPPING

on Continental U.S. Orders 75.00 or more
but only if you select Free Shipping when you check out

Deeply Discounted Bonsai & Japanese Garden Products at Stone Lantern

Fat Trunks & Small Pots 2

tomomain

Bright yellow is a strong color, but I think this tree can handle it. The dense foliage and sturdy trunk are the keys. The artist is Tomohiro Masumi. No variety is given

A few months ago we featured Tomohiro Masumi in a post titled, Fat Trunks, Small Pots. Now we’ve got more of both. All the photos are from Tomohiro’s timeline. The only text is “Takao Koyo pots at Shuga-ten”

30% off Tool Specials End Friday Night

OKATSUNE BONSAI & GARDEN TOOLS
KOYO BONSAI TOOLS

specials end Friday, Nov 9th at 11:59pm EST

tomo2

Another bright yellow pot and an even stronger trunk. Again no variety is given, but you with those leaves it's unmistakable

 

tomo4

Another strong pot and another maple, though this time it's a Trident. You can recognize Trident maples by their three pointed leaves (thus the name). The impressive nebari has a distinctively Trident look as well.

 

tomo3

Is it just me, or do the color of the tree and pot together seem a little dissonant. Or perhaps a little dissonance is the artist's intention

 

tomo7

A white snake invasion or just fresh lime sulfur?

 

26991702_10212373811593544_5683215758351667233_n

Tomohiro Masumi loving bonsai

NEW 30% OFF
HAWS WATERING CANS

Watering Cans

Haws watering can are renowned around the world
for their quality and beauty

Now all 30% off our list prices

–

Deeply Discounted Bonsai & Japanese Garden Products at Stone Lantern

Bill’s Blazing Backyard Bonsai Brilliance

fullmoon

Bill Valavanis' famous Full moon maple in all its glory

I’ve been meaning to knock your socks off (do people still say that?) with these photos of Bill’s Brilliant back yard for a few days now, but wanted to get all the fact straight first. Turns out time isn’t on my side so far this week, so I’ll just put the photos up as I found them on Bill’s fb timeline. If you want more info, feel free to follow the link.
Continued below…

30% off Tool Specials End Soon

OKATSUNE BONSAI & GARDEN TOOLS
KOYO BONSAI TOOLS
–

forest

 

Here’s a note Bill sent us the other day … “Both Alan (Alan Adair) and I have not adjusted the color in the photos. They are actually that bright! and really glow in the right light. It took both of us 3 hours of moving trees around for the overall garden shot. We call it “painting with bonsai”. I’m up on the ladder and can’t clearly see a tree, so it must be moved. Then we need more yellow here and red over there. It all takes time, but worth it. From Friday to Sunday should actually bring out the peak color in my garden. But there are still about a half dozen maples which will not peak for some time. There are two shishigashira maples which were beginning to peak and should be stunning. After we take the formal garden photos we will bring other individual trees into to be photographed. Then, if we have time and energy will bring some in for tokonoma shots. As you well know, everything takes time which people do not realize. Look at all the time Joe takes to capture the beauty of each tree in the exhibition for the album. He spends hours on each photo to get the exact color correct, after shooting the tree. NOBODY even sees the subtle changes, only Joe sees them. Teaching color reproduction for 35 year trains your eye……”

B1-2ALBUMS4&5Here's a couple of those albums Bill mentions (just above) that were shot by Joe Noga, bonsai photographer extrordanaire. Both are available at Stone Lantern
45418625_10218658419310400_569391781595054080_nWe did get the facts on this one. Here's what Bill wrote... "This a bust of Yugi Yoshimura, a bonsai pioneer in America, and teacher to William N. Valavanis. Next to him, in flower, is the Daisy Chrysanthemum that was once his and is now over 90 years old."

 

 

jmaple

 

bill2

 

b1cu

 

45265662_1897543657033472_7076363682820653056_n

In Bill's own words... I’m up on the ladder and can’t clearly see a tree, so it must be moved...

FREE SHIPPING

FOR CONTINENTAL U.S. ORDERS 75.00 OR MORE*
NOW APPLIES TO EVERYTHING…
INCLUDING BONSAI WIRE

*but only if you select Free Shipping when you check out
CW WIRE - BLACK

BONSAI AESTHETICS WIRE SPECIALS

KILO ROLLS 16.75 EACH 1-5 ROLLS
ONLY 15.95 EACH FOR 6 OR MORE ROLLS
500 GRAM ROLLS 10.95 EACH 1-7 ROLLS 
ONLY 9.95 EACH FOR 8 OR MORE ROLLS

100 GRAM ROLLS 3.95 EACH 
ONLY 2.95 EACH FOR 10 OR MORE ROLLS

WIRE DISCOUNTS ARE COMPUTED AT CHECK OUT

Deeply Discounted Bonsai & Japanese Garden Products at Stone Lantern

Potentilla Bonsai, Before & After – As Fragile as Stained Glass

potb&a

Potentilla fruticosa before and after from Lakeshore Bonsai. There's a lot more than meets the eye when it comes to styling and caring for Potentilla

Yesterday we featured a couple little Potentilla, so let’s stay on theme. This one was styled by Aaron at Lakeshore Bonsai in Toronto. The following is quoted directly from Lakeshore’s site…
“This Potentilla is as fragile as a stained glass window and parts of it literally crumble away every time I work on it. It has undergone some pretty radical changes since I acquired it in 2011, and certainly does not look like the tree I initially envisioned it would become when I bought it. If I could give one piece of advice to anyone who wants to work with Potentilla – especially a deadwood specimen – I would say keep the trunk as clean and dry as possible. They are extremely susceptible to rot. Brush it, lime sulfur it, treat it with wood hardener, remove dead bark… all that good stuff is essential.
Continued below…

30% off Tool Specials

OKATSUNE BONSAI & GARDEN TOOLS
KOYO BONSAI TOOLS

 

BEFOREFULL

Before. May 2011

Continued from above…
“The main things I did this year were to remove the last of the rotting parts, soak every piece of deadwood in lime sulfur then wood hardener, and compact the crown. I also completely redesigned the branch structure such that it is much more simple and “bonsai like”. This is contrary to the wayward, random nature in which Potentilla grow. I’m not saying the current image is better than some of the earlier ones. Certainly some incredible deadwood features have been lost.

Next step is to find the right pot, which certainly won’t be easy. I figure this tree still has a couple years of life before it returns to the dust from whence it came.”

 

larkeshore

After... "The crown still needs a bit of filling out, but that won’t take long."

FREE SHIPPING

FOR CONTINENTAL U.S. ORDERS 75.00 OR MORE*
NOW APPLIES TO EVERYTHING…
INCLUDING BONSAI WIRE

*but only if you select Free Shipping when you check out
CW WIRE - BLACK

BONSAI AESTHETICS WIRE SPECIAls

KILO ROLLS 16.75 EACH 1-5 ROLLS
ONLY 15.95 EACH FOR 6 OR MORE ROLLS
500 GRAM ROLLS 10.95 EACH 1-7 ROLLS 
ONLY 9.95 EACH FOR 8 OR MORE ROLLS

100 GRAM ROLLS 3.95 EACH 
ONLY 2.95 EACH FOR 10 OR MORE ROLLS

WIRE DISCOUNTS ARE COMPUTED AT CHECK OUT

Deeply Discounted Bonsai & Japanese Garden Products at Stone Lantern

Two Potentilla Bonsai & Two Brand New Books

pot

Would you ever guess that these two little gems are Potentilla? Both are sweet in their own way, and so's the photo; the muted painterly background, the contrasting pot colors and contrasting dead and live wood on both trees. I don't know what the little companion is, but I like it too. I found it on Roman Stresow's timeline. His caption is Just two Potentilla

When I saw the photo above and then read that the trees were Potentilla (aka Cinquefoil), I felt a little tug of excitement. Not only were both little trees unique, but they’re Potentilla, a type tree I have often admired, both in the wild (the Rockies) and in my garden
Continued below…

Two 30% off High Quality Tool Specials

OKATSUNE BONSAI & GARDEN TOOLS
KOYO BONSAI TOOLS

 

potlarge

No dimentsions are given, but I imagine this is a Shohin. Especially since Roman Stresow posted it on the Shohin and Mame Bonsai group

Continued from above…
Speaking of my garden and Potentilla… a few days ago my friend and I were cutting back perennials when I came across an old Potentilla that’s not doing too well. I mentioned that I’ve long wanted to try a bonsai potentilla and now here’s my chance (but we’ll have to wait until the spring, the fall digging season has past). I won’t say I can’t wait, because I have to, but it’s one more spring project to look forward to and spring is right around the corner (in about seven months!)

 

potsmall

The small sweet one with it's even smaller companion. Looks like a handmade pot (I'm not sure about the pot in the photo above)

–

B1MINCOVERMiniature Bonsai 

list price 16.95
Introductory Special 13.95

It’s not that often that we get two new books at the same time. If I had to pick one for someone who knows a little bit about bonsai, I’d choose Miniature Bonsai. If on the other hand, I had to pick one for someone who knows very little about bonsai but likes to grow plants, I’d pick Miniature Japanese Gardens (or you could pick both…)

B2MINCOVER

Miniature Japanese Gardens

list price 19.99
Introductory Special 16.95

Deeply Discounted Bonsai & Japanese Garden Products at Stone Lantern

Brilliant Beech Bonsai & Tiny Companion

mairmain

Contrast! This shot has to go in our Bonsai Bark hall of fame photos (if we had such a thing). The big one is a Japanese beech (Fagus crenata) and the small one is unidentified, though it looks a lot like a Shimpaku juniper. Both belong to Mariusz Folda

Suddenly we’re inundated with fall color bonsai photos. Our colors in northern Vermont peaked three weeks ago and now the rest of the world is catching up. Mariusz Folda, a long time favorite here on Bark is from Bielsko-Biala in southern Poland

Two New 30% off Tool Specials

Okatsune Bonsai & Garden Tools
Koyo Bonsai Tools

 

m1

Just the beech, brilliantly lit. Mariusz lists its height as 80cm (31.5 inches)

 

m2

In Mariusz' tokonoma 

FREE SHIPPING

FOR CONTINENTAL U.S. ORDERS 75.00 OR MORE*
NOW APPLIES TO EVERYTHING…
INCLUDING BONSAI WIRE

*but only if you select Free Shipping when you check out
CW WIRE - BLACK

BONSAI AESTHETICS WIRE SPECIAL

KILO ROLLS 16.75 EACH 1-5 ROLLS
ONLY 15.95 EACH FOR 6 OR MORE ROLLS
500 GRAM ROLLS 10.95 EACH 1-7 ROLLS 
ONLY 9.95 EACH FOR 8 OR MORE ROLLS

100 GRAM ROLLS 3.95 EACH 
ONLY 2.95 EACH FOR 10 OR MORE ROLLS

WIRE DISCOUNTS ARE COMPUTED AT CHECK OUT

 

Deeply Discounted Bonsai & Japanese Garden Products at Stone Lantern

Tea Time – Best in Show

lead

Here's the caption that was posted with this photo... "Congratulations Peter Tea, professional bonsai artist and instructor, Auburn, California, for judged bonsai competition winning Best Conifer and Best in Show (California Juniper) at the Golden State Bonsai Federation (GSBF) Convention 41, October 24-28, 2018, Sacramento, California - "Creativity Taking Flight". Photo by Peter Camarena." I cropped the original photo (see below) to enjoy a closer look

I was beginning to think Peter Tea had gone into hiding and then this popped up. Turns out he was hiding in plain sight. I just lost track for a while and that’s too bad, because Peter’s trees and what he has to say about them, is always worth a moment. Here’s a link to a post we did in 2014 titled “Twenty Eight Questions for Peter Tea“(originally posted at Yenling Bonsai)

NEW FREE SHIPPING NOW INCLUDES WIRE*

*for all Continental U.S. orders 75.00 or more
*and only if you select Free Shipping when you check out

In addition to Bonsai Wire* 

Soil & Turntables & everything else qualifies*

*see above
originalHere's the original photo with the companion tree doing its work. And here's the rest of what Peter wrote... "Had a great time at the GSBF Convention! Hung out with old and new friends and bought some Bonsai goodies! Client's and student's trees winning some prizes was the cherry on top!"

 

cu

A closer look at the deadwood. Including the 'wave'

 

538468_3755775939790_1169783851_nPeter working on a Black pine at Aichi-en. From Yenling Bonsai

FREE SHIPPING

FOR CONTINENTAL U.S. ORDERS 75.00 OR MORE*
NOW APPLIES TO EVERYTHING…
INCLUDING BONSAI WIRE

*but only if you select Free Shipping when you check out
CW WIRE - BLACK

BONSAI AESTHETICS WIRE SPECIAL

KILO ROLLS 16.75 EACH 1-5 ROLLS
ONLY 15.95 EACH FOR 6 OR MORE ROLLS
500 GRAM ROLLS 10.95 EACH 1-7 ROLLS 
ONLY 9.95 EACH FOR 8 OR MORE ROLLS

100 GRAM ROLLS 3.95 EACH 
ONLY 2.95 EACH FOR 10 OR MORE ROLLS

WIRE DISCOUNTS ARE COMPUTED AT CHECK OUT

 

Deeply Discounted Bonsai & Japanese Garden Products at Stone Lantern