Some Question Marks

Judging by the background, this photo is from the 2013 BCI convention in China. Robert Steven sent us a bunch of great photos from this convention which we featured a while back (here, here and here). Maybe this is one that we missed. Anyway, I like the voluptuous, free-wheeling, unmanicured look. This photos and the others shown here are from Bonsai Phong.

Lately we’ve been inundated with facebook friend requests from Vietnam. By the hundreds. This is in keeping with this statement by Robert Steven (from an earlier Bark post): “The interest in bonsai in Vietnam is amazing and unbelievable. I travel from the south of Ho Chi Min City to the north of Hanoi, from the remote villages to the cities, every house with terrace (when I say every house, I mean ALMOST every house) always has bonsai.”

The photos shown here are from Bonsai Phong on facebook. Because there are no attributions and the comments are all in Vietnamese, I have no idea who the trees belong to, nor if any if them are actually from Vietnam. Still, and even though we don’t like showing trees without attribution, in our relentless quest to satisfy your lust for unique bonsai I thought we’d just go ahead and post them. Maybe you can help identify the artists.

Whatever it is, it’s great. At first glance I thought it was Japanese, but then there’s the un-Japanese looking slab and that strange white thing in the center (I don’t think it’s a figurine though). From here the trees look like Larches, but, if you’ve being paying any attention, you know about my guesses.

Wild and wooly on a wooden slab. Nice pot too. Other than that, your guess is at least as good as mine.

This might be the only photo that’s actually from Vietnam. Or is it?

Deeply Discounted Bonsai & Japanese Garden Products at Stone Lantern

Revisting a Gallerie de Francois Jeker

We’re back to our old tricks (this post originally appeared way back in 2010). Now my excuse is that Corey’s on vacation, so I’m swamped (as is Ric in the warehouse) and the best way out of the swamp is to take the easy path.

There’s a good reason for picking this particular post from our achieves; Francois Jeker’s Bonsai Aesthetics 2 is now available. This means that you can complete your set, or if you don’t have either Bonsai Aesthetics volumes, you can buy the set at a discount.

Carving with a French flare (from our archieves)
We have featured Francois Jeker several times on Bonsai Bark. And for good reason; Francois is an accomplish bonsai artist, teacher and author (Bonsai Aesthetics). He also designed and built his own Japanese garden and is a lighting professional, among other things. In the overlapping circles of the bonsai world, Francois is especially known for his deadwood carving. The trees shown here (borrowed from his website) give you just a taste of what Francois has been up to lately.

These two groundbreaking books are exactly what they say they are… practical guides to bonsai aesthetics.

Deeply Discounted Bonsai & Japanese Garden Products at Stone Lantern

In Search of the Perfect Nebari #9

Grotesque is in the eye of the beholder. Every now and then, and only in Japan, you see a nebari like this (pancake nebari is an apt name). Aside from its somewhat strange quality, a couple things jump out about this one. First it’s is a clear example of a fused nebari (except for around the edges, all the exposed roots have fused together), and second is how thin the trunk is in relation to the size of the nebari. This photo and the others in this post were all taken at Fuyo-en by Bonsai in Japan.

Back in the glory days of Bonsai Bark (2009-2010) we ran an 8 part series called In Search of the Perfect Nebari (here’s the eighth). If you’re new to bonsai, or just haven’t been paying much attention, nebari is the Japanese word for the very base of the trunk (basal flare) and especially the exposed roots that radiate out from that base (some definition don’t include the base of trunk, but to my eye it’s often hard to distinguish where the base ends and exposed roots begin).

I think that most bonsai people would agree that the primary functions of nebari are to lend a sense of age and of stability to a bonsai. However, as you can see from the photo above, it’s possible to have a nebari simply for its own sake.

All the photos in this post are from Bonsai in Japan‘s visit to Fuyo-en in Omiya. Unfortunately, there are no species identifications or other remarks with the photos, and we’ll spare you any guesses on my part (though many, if not most, great nebari are found on Trident maples).

Here’s another example of a fused nebari with a moderate pancake effect, that seems a little more in balance with overall size of the trunk and the rest of the tree.

More flare, less spread.

This cone shaped nebari is mostly just flare with no pancake-like spread.

Here’s a wonderful craggy old tree with just a enough nebari to lend a feeling of stability.

Deeply Discounted Bonsai & Japanese Garden Products at Stone Lantern

Real Fine Bonsai

This sublime shot of a radiant Golden Full Moon maple by Bill Valavanis is one of 281 brilliant full-page photos that appear Fine Bonsai.

I tried but failed. I wanted to put up a fresh post this morning, but, after two hours of stops and starts and general and specific indecision, once again I’m taking the easy way out. Let’s just say it’s still summer and the soft siren song of the great outdoors still beckons…

This one (with some changes) originally appeared almost exactly one year ago. I picked it because it features a remarkable book (and because our Big Summer Book Sale ends tomorrow). Though not everyone I talk to agrees, to my eyes at least, the powerful full-page photos highlight the luminous brilliance of some of the best bonsai in the world. In ways that conventional shots seldom capture. After a whole year I still keep an open copy by my desk.

One of the most astounding books…
This morning Andy Rutledge sent me his well considered and well written review of one of the most astounding books I’ve ever seen. So rather than subjecting you to my same old prose once again, let’s try a fresh voice for a change (note, you can see Andy’s entire review on his Bonsai Journal … you might also enjoy visiting a more multifaceted Andy here).

Andy Rutledge’s review
When my copy of Fine Bonsai arrived I almost dropped it as the delivery man handed it to me. Though large, I didn’t expect the package to be so heavy. At 12″ x 15″ x 1.75″ and almost 10 pounds, this is a large and weighty book. The beautiful slipcase adds even more dimension and almost another pound of weight. When I finally unboxed and perused the book I was delighted to discover that the content, too, was weightier than expected.

Fine Bonsai – Art & Nature is primarily a photo-artistic study of bonsai from public and private collections in North America and Japan, with photos by renowned photographer Jonathan M. Singer and text by the respected American artist, teacher, and publisher William N. Valavanis.

In addition to the bonsai sections which comprise most of the book, beautiful and important bonsai containers and suiseki are featured in discrete chapters. Each is filled with practical and historical information on the depicted works. There’s also an informative section on the various arboretums and nurseries whose trees are featured in this book.

The Good

The photography is stunning. Each of the 281 full-page photos allows the subject its individual due and dignity. The rich, dark background surrounding the bonsai in these photos, combined with elegant and creative lighting, presents each subject in a way that is at once serene and emphatic. Though the dark environment for the photos creates perhaps an uncommon or unfamiliar context for bonsai, the trees seem most comfortable there. They shine like stars on a stage…
For the rest of Andy’s review visit The Bonsai Journal.

Deeply Discounted Bonsai & Japanese Garden Products at Stone Lantern

New Bonsai Blog & Two More Events

This magnificent Sumac belongs to Hiroshi Takeyama. You can read about it and other bonsai wonders on Bill Valavanis new bonsai blog.

First the new blog…
It’s Bill Valavanis’ latest bonsai venture and already (after five posts) I’m a fan. It’s aptly called Valavanis Bonsai Blog, Welcome To My Bonsai World. As you might expect the photos are great (there’s lots of them too) and the writing is good. But then, I’ve long appreciated Bill’s passion for and devotion to bonsai, so I’m not at all surprised by yet another effort to share that passion with the rest of us. I look forward to years of great posts.

A happy Bill with his prize winning Scots pine. From a post titled: RAF Dwarf Scots Pine Bonsai Development.

And now the two events that we missed last time…

Aug 24: Atlanta Bonsai Society’s Annual Bonsai Auction.

Sept 7-8: Bill’s open house. You can read about it on the latest post at (you guessed it) Bill’s new blog.

Couldn’t resist one more photo from Bill’s new blog. It’s his famous Koto Hime Japanese maple.

Deeply Discounted Bonsai & Japanese Garden Products at Stone Lantern

Upcoming Bonsai Events & Big Summer Book Sale Ends Soon

An example of Francois Jeker’s styling and deadwood carving. Francois is a headliner at the Eda Uchi Kai Bonsai-Ten 2013 (see below). He is also the author of Bonsai Aesthetics one and two.

FREE ADVERTISING! Would you like to see your bonsai event featured here? If so, just send me a notice with a link to the event. That’s it. But remember, no link, no show. My email is wayne@stonelantern.com. You might also want to mention the event in the comments below.

Big Summer Book Sale ends soon. 20% to 25% off all books. Don’t wait!

Two classics, one old and one new. Both belong in any bonsai library.

Aug 16 – 17: 36th Annual Mid-America Bonsai Exhibit by the Midwest Bonsai Society. The guest artist is Bjorn Bjorholm a talented American apprentice at Keiichi Fujikawa’s Kouka-en bonsai nursery.

Aug 24-25: We’re trying not to feature events anymore unless we are asked to (see above). There are too many events and it’s just too much trouble to search them out. But we’ll make an exception in this case because it’s from Peter Tea’s excellent blog which has long been a source of great material for us. Here’s what Peter has to say about the event: “If you are around on August 24th or 25th, please be sure to attend the Redwood Empire Bonsai Society Annual show. It’s one of the biggest shows in California and they have a huge vendor area as well.”

Sept 7 – 8: Bonsai Bash at Greenwood Bonsai Studio. It’s hard to argue with a free large yamadori demo by Corin. BTW: Greenwood is, among other things, one of three places in the UK that offers our Stone Lantern Bonsai Books.

Sept 12-15: For the Love of Bonsai. This looks like a good one. It features, among other things, an excellent group of bonsai teachers and demonstrators including Enrique Castaño and Andy Smith (we have a ulterior motive for mentioning these two).

A collected Black Mangrove (Avicennia germinans) that happens to be the cover tree Botany for Bonsai by Enrique Castaño. Enrique is one of the headliners at For the Love of Bonsai (above).

Sept 20-22: Milwaukee’s big event should be a good one with Kathy Shaner as the headliner and the interesting idea of featuring Trees in Training in addition to Exhibit Trees.

Sept 21-22: Intriguing bonsai events await you at Pairie State’s annual show this year, including a Children’s workshop.

Oct 4-6: Montreal has two excellent permanent bonsai collections (Japanese and Chinese) at their famous Botanical Garden (Jardin botanique). When you throw a big bonsai event into the mix, it looks like a trip well worth taking. We don’t have a link to the event yet, but hope to have one soon. Meanwhile, here’s a link to their French language website. BTW: that’s a very good example of a collected Northern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis). My guess is that it came from the rocky escarpments near the tree line way up north.

This Mountain hemlock with fern is by Michael Hagedorn, one of North America’s premier bonsai artists. Michael is a headliner at the South Africa Bonsai Association Convention.

Oct 24 – 27: South Africa Bonsai Association Convention 2013 is being hosted by Eastern Bonsai Societies (EBS) and features our Michael Hagedorn, the inimitable Walter Pall and Rob Kepinski.

Oct 31 – Nov 2: Golden State Bonsai Federation Convention XXXVI—Bonsai Artist Studio: OUTSIDE THE BOX. I think you’ll kick yourself if you miss this one. Especially if you live within a few thousand miles of Los Angeles (most def if you live within a few hundred miles). A very big part of the reason why is the impressive list of headliners: Dave DeGroot, Suthin Sukosolvisit, Peter Warren, Mauro Stemberger, Kathy Shaner, Tom Elias and Sean Smith.

Nov 30 – Dec 1: Eda Uchi Kai Bonsai-Ten 2013 in Belgium. I know most of you can read Flemish, but just in case, here’s something in English about what promises to be a great bonsai event. The headliners are Kevin Willson (UK), Enrico Savini (IT), François Jeker (FR), Márcio Meruje and Viriato Oliveira from Portugal.

Deeply Discounted Bonsai & Japanese Garden Products at Stone Lantern

Eccentric Bonsai Revisited

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.)

Don’t worry, soon we’ll be back to working up never-seen-before posts. Meanwhile, it’s still mid-summer and we’re still borrowing from the past. This one originally appeared December 2011.

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 featured several posts from Peter Tea’s blog lately (Peter is an apprentice at Mr. Junichiro Tanaka’s Aichi-en bonsai nursery). Peter takes good photos, writes with a fresh perspective, and knows something about bonsai. To an old editor and bonsai enthusiasts, that’s an unbeatable combination.

Here’s that nebari, and here’s what Peter has to say about it: “A close up of the root spread. Even the root spread of this tree is strange. Answer me this, would a more natural radial root base go well with the rest of the tree? or vise versa? My first impression of this root base was, “what is this?” When I looked at the overall tree again this root spread turned out to be so right for this tree (there is an important lesson to learn here). If you don’t believe me, look at the picture of the front of the tree again. ;o).”

A profusion of very small, very colorful fall leaves almost completely cover the tree’s eccentric nature.

Deeply Discounted Bonsai & Japanese Garden Products at Stone Lantern

Revisiting Redwood Bonsai

Off to a very good start. Though the branching is young and has a ways to go, the trunk, with its power and character, bodes well for the future of this tree. You can find it along with other quality bonsai at Bonsai Smiths.

Don’t worry, soon we’ll be coming up with new material. Meanwhile, we’re still digging into our archives. I picked this post (from Sept 2011) because I’m currently reading a book about Redwoods (and other things, but not bonsai) titled Trees in Paradise. It’s by Jared Farmer (published by W. W. Norton) but it’s an advanced copy, so you won’t find it anywhere just yet.

Redwood Empire
A few posts ago, we showed four excellent Coastal Redwood bonsai from the 2011 Redwood Empire Bonsai Show (courtesy of Jonas at Bonsai Tonight). They were unattributed, so we didn’t know who they belonged to. Now, thanks to Cory Jones, we know that the first two in the post belong to Bob Shimon (Mendocino Coast Bonsai). We still don’t know who the other two belong to.

Where do they come from?
In the comments, a question came up about the origin of Coastal redwood and Giant sequoia (also commonly called redwoods) bonsai and the difficulty of finding stunted Giant sequoias that are suitable for bonsai. Bob Shimon, who knows a bit about redwood bonsai (see above paragraph) replied with what I thought was an instructive answer, though I would like to hear more about the actual origin of Coastal redwood stock.

In Bob’s own words
Bob Shimon’s comment: “It has nothing to do about finding “stunted” trees. The Coastal Redwoods are trees that have been cut back and root pruned drastically but are vigorous enough to sprout new growth and roots,which can be developed into bonsai. The Giant Redwoods on the other hand, do not tolerate root and foliage pruning very well. The branches tend to die back after pinching. I’ve only seen a couple of Giant Redwoods as bonsai.” The original post with all the comments is here.

Four redwood bonsai from Mendocino Coast Bonsai’s gallery, with the caption: Examples of redwood trees displayed at our bonsai club’s last show.

Deeply Discounted Bonsai & Japanese Garden Products at Stone Lantern

NEW Bonsai Books

Finally. Volume 2 of Bonsai Aesthetics is here and it turns out that it is well worth the wait. Volume 1 covers the main rules of bonsai design while volume 2 digs into what makes the difference between an ordinary bonsai and those selected for Japan’s famous Kokufu-ten exhibiton. What is it about these bonsai trees that cause such intense feelings when we see them? The author, Francois Jeker is an accomplished bonsai artist, author, teacher and deadwood carving master.

Big Summer Book Sale. Strike while the iron is hot. We are currently running a 20% to 25% off sale on all bonsai books. It won’t last too much longer, so this is your chance to enrich your bonsai knowledge and your bonsai library.

Another NEW book (new for us at least). This detailed, in depth book is what you are looking for if you want to learn more about North American trees and their uses as bonsai. Covers literally hundreds of tree species suitable for bonsai. The author is a Emeritus Professor of Biology and his extensive knowledge of the subject shines through.

If you don’t have volume one yet, you can buy the discounted set and save on shipping. Taken together, these excellent, attractive books provide a complete lesson in Bonsai Aesthetics.

Deeply Discounted Bonsai & Japanese Garden Products at Stone Lantern

Bonsai Paradise

I think this magnificent convoluted beast belongs to Yusuf Sirait; at least it appears on his facebook page. It’s a Pemphis acidula (Santigi).

Yet another mid-summer vacation resurrection (from January 2012). The original was a little wordy so I’ve chopped it down just a bit.

Bonsai paradise
I wonder just how common naturally contorted wild bonsai stock are on the islands of Indonesia. Based on what you see online and elsewhere, it’s easy to get the impression that they are quite abundant and easily accessible, though, I doubt that’s really the case. In fact, photos from Robert Steven’s Mission of Transformation show Robert and friends going to a considerable amount of trouble and even risk to life and limb to collect wild trees (here’s a relevant post from 2009). Still, Indonesian bonsai artists seem to come up with a near endless supply of high quality collected bonsai, and the ones shown here are no exception.

The wild contortions on this one are a bit more expansive, but nature’s ravages combined with skilled human hands make for the same delightful results. This one belongs to Budi Sulistyo (see our last post). The photo is from ofbonsai.org.

I don’t think we can go any further without showing one of Robert Steven’s masterpieces. Robert is a bright star in the Indonesian bonsai universe and this gnarly old tree is a good example of what his skillful hands and eyes can do with powerful collected material. The photo is from the gallery on Robert’s blog. BTW: Robert is a frequent contributor to this blog and author of two of our favorite bonsai books (below).

You can enjoy a 20% to 25% discount off our already discounted prices during our big Summer Book Sale. Including this set of two favorite bonsai books by Robert Steven.

Deeply Discounted Bonsai & Japanese Garden Products at Stone Lantern