The Right Stock, a Great Slab & a Good Eye

This is what you can do if you have the right stock, a great slab and a good eye. It’s a Chinese elm forest (Ulmus davidiana var. japonica), or at least that’s what someone named Iris says it is (there was some question on the site – ibonsaiclub – where I found it). The planting belongs to Heinz Leitner. The slab is by Erik Križovenský. Once you’ve seen Erik’s distinctive looking slabs and other bonsai containers (for lack of a better word) you’ll be able to spot them anywhere. This post started out with some photos of a unique bonsai … Continue reading The Right Stock, a Great Slab & a Good Eye

Avant-Garde Bonsai

Avant-garde bonsai. This fluid tree with its distinctive flying pot is from Bonsai Do. The caption says with Tony Tickle (I visited Tony’s blog and couldn’t find it). There’s also this quote by Thomas Browne (it’s in Spanish on Bonsai Do, but here’s the original English): Art is the perfection of nature. Nature hath made one world, and art another. Leaving for the airport in a while, so not enough time to put together a new post. I borrowed this one from February, 2013. Here are some photos I captured from Bonsai Do on facebook. The good news is they … Continue reading Avant-Garde Bonsai

Fat Guy & Tall Guy

Tony Tickle, a man with a sense of humor worthy of his name, calls this Hawthorn ‘Fat Guy’ and the one just below ‘Tall Guy.’ Yesterday we featured some of Tony Tickle’s wild and wonderful yamadori bonsai, with a little confusion thrown in (courtesy of yours truly). Today, it’s Tony’s trees again, but this time we’ll do our best to limit the confusion. So much for limiting confusion… I just noticed that the links from yesterday’s post don’t go to Tony’s website, but instead to an interview with Tony on ABC’s website. However, I distinctly remember copying http://yamadori.co.uk, from Tony’s … Continue reading Fat Guy & Tall Guy

A Range of Bonsai Varieties & Styles, Along with a Flair for Experimentation…

This raft style bonsai belongs to Tony Tickle. Most of Tony’s trees are labeled by variety, but this one simply says ‘Raft’ (I spent some time searching Tony’s site for more on this remarkable tree, to no avail). I’m guessing it’s a Larch (Larix) or maybe not (see below). We could go further and guess European larch as the U.K. where Tony lives and works is considered part of Europe (by most people, at least) and Tony seems to favor yamadori that are collected in Europe (he calls his site Bonsai & Yamadori from Tony Tickle). Looks like I might … Continue reading A Range of Bonsai Varieties & Styles, Along with a Flair for Experimentation…

Still Opulent, Outrageous & Outstanding

This Itoigawa Shimpaku (Juniperus chinensis ‘itoigawa’) by Dougie Smith qualifies as opulent for sure. Outrageous? Well there is that huge rock jutting up from the skinny little (but very handsome) pot. As for outstanding; that goes without saying. Note: I don’t know what the smaller trees down low are. Maybe azaleas? Myrtle? This photo and the others in this post are by Philippe Massard, though I cropped them all to bring the trees closer. A quick two day vacation and another dip into our archives. This one is from February 2014. I picked it to show a second time, primarily … Continue reading Still Opulent, Outrageous & Outstanding

Bonsai Train, Deadwood in Deadwood, How-to Tips

Vive bonsai! Ever wonder why European bonsai events are so well attended? Thanks to Rosade Bonsai for this great photo. It’s an archival day. It has been way too wet lately, and now the clouds have blown away and the sun is beckoning. Only a fool would spend the day in the office if he didn’t have too. This post is from 2012. I love the train and rest is pretty good too. Deadwood in Deadwood. If you’re ever near Deadwood South Dakota, visit Andy Smith at Golden Arrow Bonsai. Andy is known for his yamadori bonsai (bonsai collected … Continue reading Bonsai Train, Deadwood in Deadwood, How-to Tips

All You Need Is the Right Pot and Just a Touch of Art

This unusual gem is part of an excellent selection of Kusamono from Tony Tickle’s garden. In Tony’s own words… “I have a large collection of dwarf Hostas, these flourish in my rather damp garden, in summer the other Kusamono come into flower and leaf. Here are a few they include Astilbie, Thrift and sedums. Most of the Pots are from my friend Dan Barton but there are pots from Gordon Duffet and many other European Potters.” Five of the nine photos in this post are Tony’s. It’s summer, the sun is shinning for a change and my bonsai and gardens … Continue reading All You Need Is the Right Pot and Just a Touch of Art

A Dilemma We’d All Like To Have

These two views of the same tree and the question posed (below) are from Tony Tickle’s website. The tree shown here belongs to Tony Tickle. It’s a Yew (the species isn’t mentioned, but I’m guessing English). You can find it on Tony’s Bonsai & Yamadori site under the heading Please choose your favorite ‘Front’ for this Yew. If you visit Bonsai & Yamadori you can vote for your favorite front (aka best view), and, if you’re really ambitious, you can explain yourself in the comments (you can do the same in our comments below). Meanwhile, I’ll keep my opinion to myself. … Continue reading A Dilemma We’d All Like To Have

The Right Pot and Just a Touch of Art

This unusual gem is part of an excellent selection of Kusamono from Tony Tickle’s garden. In Tony’s own words… “I have a large collection of dwarf Hostas, these flourish in my rather damp garden, in summer the other Kusamono come into flower and leaf. Here are a few they include Astilbie, Thrift and sedums. Most of the Pots are from my friend Dan Barton but there are pots from Gordon Duffet and many other European Potters.” Five of the nine photos in this post are Tony’s. One of the great things about companion plants (Kusamono or Shitakusa) is that they … Continue reading The Right Pot and Just a Touch of Art

Opulent, Outrageous & Outstanding

This Itoigawa Shimpaku (Juniperus chinensis ‘itoigawa’) by Dougie Smith qualifies as opulent for sure. Outrageous? Well there is that huge rock jutting up from the skinny little (but very handsome) pot. As for outstanding; that goes without saying. Note: I don’t know what the smaller trees down low are. Maybe azaleas? Myrtle? This photo and the others in this post are by Philippe Massard, though I cropped them all to bring the trees closer. All the photos in this post are from the Noelanders Trophy XV which was recently held in Belgium. The photos are all borrowed from Philippe Massard … Continue reading Opulent, Outrageous & Outstanding